Because nobody else would
by Sasake
Summary: You'd think Artemis and Opal were worlds apart. An exploration of the psyche and childhood of the criminal, megalomaniac genius. Takes place after the end of The Time Paradox. Now Massively Overhauled! This is THE definitive A/O fic! Well, it's alright :P
1. Chapter 1

**Attention! This fic has been hugely overhauled and changed fairly substantially. If you read this before and want details go to chapter 10 and read the A/N there.**

**P.S. Sorry for my boastful summary; I am not claiming that this is the best A/O fic by a long shot, but I did manage to use every character in the summary allowance, so it was worth it :D**

Artemis Fowl took a nervous glance over his right wing. Yes, she was getting dangerously close now and this plan was going to require split-second timing. A screeching, ranting and pretty much foaming at the mouth Opal Koboi was soaring towards his plane at Mach 2, a speed he could hardly hope to match. But all he really wanted to do was draw her away. Away from people that could be hurt if this plan went wrong. And it most likely would, seeing as it required action from Artemis; action was not something he felt comfortable with. But this was the only chance to save them all.

Koboi drew up to him and began punching holes in his wing membrane and he was losing control of the small plane. This was worrying; if she lost her self-control, and knocked the plane out of the sky, all his plans would come to nothing. But, as he predicted, she wouldn't risk damage to the lemur, and she flew over to the cockpit, tearing off the door with her magically strengthened arms. She intended to haul the lemur out and leave Artemis's plane to plummet to a fiery oblivion; the de-pressurised cabin would ensure that the plane would fall. But as the door came off Artemis made his move. He ran to the door and, as she threw it out into the sky, he leapt into the air. Before she could move away he caught her and pulled her close. Shocked, she did nothing for a moment.

"What are you doing, Mud-Filth?" she screeched in rage. He looked into her mad eyes and she looked back into a glowing red furnace, two pools of a deep scarlet, with infinite magical sparks blazing from them.

"Impossible!" she gasped. And then a huge eruption of magic enveloped them both, blacking out the world.

*****

As she regained consciousness Opal Koboi realised that Fowl was still clutching her, like a child, and she kicked him away petulantly. He dropped her, startled, and her small form dropped onto – well it wasn't exactly a floor, but it was no less undignified. Then she realised.

"What have you done!" Her voice wasn't as terrible as it had been a few moments ago. It was the fragile voice of a child, no, a pixie. Trying not to be frightened. All of her magic-induced stature had gone; her majestic and terrible form stripped away. She even appeared to have lost the small amount of height she had gained as a human. She was the size she had been before all her plots had started.

Artemis was disorientated. He looked around bemusedly, and his expression infuriated Opal. The place they were in was completely void of detail, a sea of green that seemed to stretch on forever, yet at the same time felt small and enclosed. "It worked then? I wasn't sure if it would."

This was said to himself, but Koboi responded. "What worked? What did you do Fowl? That was magic wasn't it? Impossible! You have no magic! And no-one has enough magic to rival mine!"

"Wrong, actually." he commented. He seemed very relaxed for some reason, a peaceful contrast to Opal's furore. "I think perhaps you remain ignorant of the existence of N°1?"

"What!"

"Yes it is an unfortunate name, but still. N°1 is the most powerful Warlock on the planet, and our very good friend."

"A Warlock! No Warlock, no matter how powerful, has ever wielded as much magic as me! You lie, Fowl!"

He smiled, though not with his usual arrogant smirk. "No Elf or Pixie warlock could, but then... demon warlocks were always the most powerful of the magical creatures. How did you suppose we went back in time in the first place?" Opal opened her mouth to protest, but it was fairly obvious she had underestimated the demon's power. Extremely mentally damaged she may have been, but she was still a genius, and the obvious facts were that she had made a serious mistake.

She moaned to herself, rocking back and forth in the foetal position for a while, muttering feverishly. "For Frond's sake! This can't be happening. I can't believe this, how could you have done this again?" She glowered at him through accusing eyes. "You!" She tried to muster up the energy to do something, to hurt him, kill him, as she had wanted to just a few seconds ago. But nothing came. She felt tired, as if she had been walking all day, and none of her violent anger came. A short while ago she had wanted, more than anything in the world, to tear at him, to smash the composure from his face, to break him and everyone she hated. But now she felt hollow, dried up. She glowered at him, hatred billowing from her dark eyes. But the all-consuming madness had evaporated. When she spoke, she thought she sounded weak. "Why do you keep winning? Why can I never beat you? Why do you keep doing this to me?" Even as she said it, she hated herself for sounding so... pathetic. It had meant to come out angry, furious, insane even. Not confused or upset.

Artemis considered the questions anyway. "You never were a criminal mastermind, Miss Koboi. Forgive me, but I believe I have some experience in the matter. For one thing you were too emotionally attached to your plans; you were never ruthless enough." She laughed cruelly at this, but he persevered. "Not compared to some humans. You liked to play with your victims, to weave a wonderful game for yourself. If we had been up against a human criminal who had got into the position you frequently held Holly and I would have been at the bottom of a river with a bullet in our heads a long time ago. You never thought about it the way you should have done. A good mastermind must be prepared to forgo all emotion in order to achieve his outcome. For another, you never considered every possible factor. You thought some things were below you, so insignificant that they need not be considered. And finally I don't believe you ever really knew what you wanted."

She scowled at him, outraged at the patronising psychoanalysis she felt was all so much – well, let us say dwarf recyclings. "Enough, Mud whelp!" She tried to sound commanding, but she wasn't fooling anyone. She would have attacked him if he hadn't been so beneath her. And if she hadn't been so much smaller than he was.

"What is this place?" she demanded.

"An ancient demon creation. Long ago, before the human wars, demons were a less militaristic society. According to Qwan, the head of the tribe was not the strongest fighter but the one who could see what was best for the tribe. The warlocks would use this place to isolate two rival demons, in order to force them to reach a settlement that was for the best of the tribe - thus the chamber has a powerful calming influence. Negotiation, rather than mortal combat, would decide the matter. We are in what the LEP colloquially term a 'bubble' - a magical construct abstract from time, but also from space, isolated from existence. The chamber could be held for as long as was needed with the power of the demon warlock and, for those outside, the process would take less than a moment no matter how long it took for the quarrel to be resolved."

"And you think I want to negotiate with you? Or perhaps your plan was to trap me here and let me starve to death? And I thought I was supposed to be the bad guy!"

"Please. I flatter myself that I am highly intelligent Miss Koboi. I think my cognitive abilities should be afforded a little more respect than that."

"Enlighten me then. What is this master plan? Because, I assure you, Fowl, I will not be co-operating with you no matter what the circumstances. Death will be a gift that can only come sooner so long as I have to listen to you." She smiled, pleased at her own wit.

Artemis looked at her. Stripped of her magic and the damage she had inflicted upon her own body, she was already beginning to recover her senses. What he hadn't told her about was the modifications that the impossibly powerful warlock had made to this ancient demon creation. It had been a great tool in reversing the centuries-long mental scarring the demons had suffered under the rule of Leon Abbot. Firstly it healed all physical, magical and mental damage to the user, in effect made them into how they should have been had they enjoyed a healthy development. This had been especially useful in the treatment of the mesmerised demons. It also did something else.

"I had foreseen that outcome." Plenty of demons had been more than reluctant to relinquish their xenophobic hatred of humans, given the depth of Abbot's centuries of indoctrination. "No.1 is the most powerful demon ever to have existed, and this is no normal bubble. But you will soon see what I mean. Believe me when I say that neither of us have much control over what is going to happen to us now."


	2. Chapter 2

**Attention! This fic has been hugely overhauled and changed fairly substantially. If you read this before and want details go to chapter 10 and read the A/N there. **

Opal Koboi opened her mouth to argue, but there was no arguing with the look in Artemis's eyes right now. Or the angry purple hue that the... space they were occupying had taken. Before the green had been soothing. She realised that it must that colour for a reason: green was a soothing colour. Purple, now purple was... unnatural, uncomfortable. Purple didn't occur much in nature so people – fairies and humans – felt instinctively uneasy with it. Her brain was churning out these facts, as it was wont to do, but they were meaningless in the situation. Something had undoubtedly happened to the bubble and the unsettling colour made her lose what calm she had.

"FOWL!" she screeched, "What the hell is going on, you pathetic Mud worm!"

"This bubble doesn't just stop within time and space but it can – not move exactly but it can manipulate time for the users within it. Provided that the points in time are strong enough in the occupants' mind it can use those points to co-ordinate a re-engagement of the time and space itself!"

"What!"

"It's difficult to explain. Basically what happens is -"

"Its going to show us times from our own lives?"

"Well not exactly, it's more like-" Artemis frowned, miffed by the simplification of an extremely complex process, "-yes, basically, that's what we will perceive, or rather what you will perceive."

"Bullshit! I'm not here to be dissected for your amusement! Let me go this instance and I might let you live."

"That's hardly what's happening here."

"Oh really? Let me guess: you're going to show me the traumatising events of my life, attribute each of my 'problems' to some 'complex' I've developed and, hey presto, you've fixed me. Sound right? Just forget it!"

Artemis thought of his own run-ins with his school's psychologists. The attempts to attribute his behaviour 'problems' to abandonment issues, his strive to achieve pinned down to living in the shadow of his domineering father. As with himself, a mind like Opal's could hardly be dissected. "Hardly," he replied. "You know, I think 'complexes' are vicious half-statements. They try and carve a simplicity from something hugely complex. This isn't for my benefit anyway."

She glowered at him, her dark brown eyes glaring into his light blue and hazel ones. "So what, I'm supposed to benefit from this? I lived my life, Fowl, I know what I am. And I am NOT doing this!"

"You really don't have a choice at this point I'm afraid, Miss Koboi." she opened her mouth to scream another reply but at that point the colour faded and they were standing in a child's bedroom. Though the only thing to suggest this was the child sitting in it; quite apart from the fact that this was no human child's room, the occupant was no normal child.

"I am the ghost of Christmas past," Artemis commented absently.

"What?"

"It's a - never mind."

Opal shook her head and looked at the scene. She recognised it. "Oh please. Really? Pretty pathetic, Fowl, pretty clichéd and pretty damn predictable. This isn't going to work by the way."

Her voice was sarcastic, mocking but there was something in it that made him wonder. "Of course you know I didn't choose this myself. You are the reason we are here; neither myself nor anyone else is in control. Now are you going to watch? Because I don't think anything is going to happen unless we do."

Her answer was to be silent and look away from him. In reality this was going to be more difficult for her than she liked to admit.

*****

The girl looked up from her work on the array of electronics to a pile of notes and manuals. She could barely have been 4 years old, at least by human standards, but the intelligence in her deep eyes was plain to see. She bit her lip absent-mindedly as she perused the manual in front of her, then made some small adjustment to what she had been bent over with a magnetic screwdriver and inserted a tiny chip into the mesh of wires using a pair of minuscule pliers. She frowned in concentration as she reached for an even smaller soldering iron, far more delicate than anything humans could manufacture, or indeed use without the aid of machines. But the tiny pixie wielded it confidently, securing something unseen within her device. Artemis was struck by the innocence of this creature; he knew Koboi must once have been, well, innocent, but it was hard to equate such a fragile child with what she had become. Had Artemis looked across at the real Opal Koboi, the similarities would have been obvious to him, for she was almost shaking in her emotion. She knew what was coming next.

The child beamed a perfect smile, and even though it was from one of his cruellest enemies, Artemis felt as though he was being warmed through with golden light. A child's smile, free from all anxiety, all the pains and thoughts of an adults life, could make anybody feel like the world was a better place, make anyone want to smile back. He smiled, unable to help himself. The child rose and took with her the thing she had made, rushing down the stairs. He couldn't follow her, but he could hear what was happening downstairs.

A child's excited voice could be heard; Opal was showing her father what she had done, proud, craving attention and praise. An angry voice came in response, a deep male voice, a violent sound. This continued for a good fifteen minutes. They both heard the child's footsteps pounding on the stairs, and Artemis knew that she would be in tears, would be full of disappointment and confusion, and he didn't think he could bear to watch.

What he did see was almost worse. When the young girl opened the door there were no tears, no tantrum. She was silent as she came in, and her eyes were dry, but what was there was different to what Artemis could have imagined. An expressionless face; the huge, dark eyes staring blankly out, the mouth set in a straight line. The eyes were the worst; they looked dead. The glow that they had held before had been wiped out. The young Opal wasn't crying, wasn't distraught and wasn't angry. But oddly this was worse.

*****

The brutal description came straight to Artemis's mind and for the first time he felt real pity for the pixie. He glanced over at the real Koboi, and the expression on her face was identical to the one on the face of the child. But her fragile form shook slightly.

"Opal..." he spoke her name, but could do no more. He had nothing he could say. She froze at the sound of his voice, and snapped out of her reverie.

"No." she said firmly. "I didn't care what my Father thought. He was a fool. I had no feelings for him. So don't you dare to say anything." And he didn't. He kept his silence and soon they were whisked away, back to the nothingness they had been in before.

"Miss Koboi - if I may speak?" She ignored him. She told herself that it didn't matter what he said. But the memory she had just seen had jolted her to the core, and she didn't protest.

"I think that perhaps...I can be of some help to you." No response to this. "At the risk of sounding clichéd, I think – we're not so dissimilar, the two of us."

At this she finally responded, a snort of disbelief. "Please, Fowl. The psychoanalysing lecture was embarrassingly pathetic. Don't make it worse by trying to identify with me. Don't tell me how we're both unappreciated geniuses, how we both led lives of crime and how your friends and family helped you out of it. That may be true but as far as I'm concerned is I'd never want to be weak like you. If you're suggesting you can help me like that then save your breath." She was still cold to him. It would take more than one traumatic memory to change Opal Koboi, and she made up her mind not to give up that easily.

Artemis could tell that Opal had been shaken by this memory far more than she showed. Already the way she spoke to him and her attitude to him had changed a lot. It might not seem like much, but it was a huge change compared to what had happened before. She hadn't noticed, but the very fact that she was engaging with him, recognising what he was saying and responding, showed a huge change in her. He was genuinely surprised by the level of change in the Pixie, the amount of damage to her mental state must have been far more than he had realised. Now it had been healed, though she was the same person, she showed a huge improvement.

**A/N: "You know I think 'complexes' are vicious half-statements of the Freudians" is a quote from D.H. Lawrence. Here is the full:**

_"I hated the Psychoanalysis Review of Sons and Lovers. You know I think 'complexes'_

_are vicious half-statements of the Freudians: sort of can't see wood for trees. When_

_you've said Mutter-complex, you've said nothing – no more than if you called hysteria_

_a nervous disease. Hysteria isn't nerves, a complex is not simply a sex relation: far_

_from it. –My poor book: it was, as art, a fairly complete truth: so they carve a half lie_

_out of it, and say 'Voil`a'. Swine!_

**And this too I think is particularly relevant: **

_"I can't help hating psychoanalysis. I think it is irreverent and destructive."_

**I have a problem with 'psychoanalysis' in the way Colfer describes Artemis Fowl receiving it in Book 1. I realise most modern counselling is hugely different, but the idea of labelling peoples' hugely complex minds and delving into them for the purpose of telling them what their problems are is to me hugely irreverent. I just felt that I should write this in case anyone thinks what I wrote is patronising to people that have had any form of depression or any mental condition. What's happening here is not meant to be psychoanalysis - it's meant to be self-analysis. And that's an important difference, imo. **

**tl;dr?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Attention! This fic has been hugely overhauled and changed fairly substantially. If you read this before and want details go to chapter 10 and read the A/N there. **

"Again!" Opal squealed, a childish gesture from one so haughty. "I swear, Artemis Fowl, no-one is allowed to try and mess with my head. So when I get out of here, you are dead! You can't even imagine what I'm thinking of doing to you right now!"

The scenery around them had changed again. Artemis ignored her comments, partly because he knew that she knew that he had no control of what was happening and that it was going to happen a lot more, and partly because he had resolved to keep silent. He had already tried to talk to her once, and Artemis Fowl was not a naturally comforting person. From now on it was her problem, literally, to sort out her problems. Or something. He would perhaps observe this experience and hypothesise the nature of the time bubble.

Another memory was approaching. And Artemis could almost feel the well of emotions springing out of this one, pain and sadness empathised in the magic.

*****

They were in her house again. But time had moved on, and the Opal before them now was a young teenager, although still a child in fairy terms. About the age of a human primary school child, and indeed she was wearing some sort of school uniform, or so it appeared to Artemis's human eyes. He smiled as he saw that she was yet again engrossed in some sort of scientific journal, probably the fairy equivalent of New Scientist. She was alone in her kitchen, a bowl of fruit and nuts forgotten in a small glass dish beside her. Her mother was fussing her to eat her breakfast and trying to comb her already lustrous hair, but young Opal seemed not to even notice she was there. However, when her Father walked in, Opal put away her journal. She had learned that her Father hated to see her engaging her own intelligence, though he could hardly deny it. She looked up at her Father eagerly, perhaps hoping for some sort of gesture of tenderness. The harsh business-fairy didn't even notice his daughter's gesture.

"Doesn't she look pretty, dear?" said Koboi's mother. Pretty hardly did Opal justice. She was breathtaking. Her perfect skin seemed to glow and the eager smile radiated her simple joy at seeing her father. The deep sentimental eyes saw nothing but her father's face, seeking some sort of approval. If he could not appreciate her natural talents and intellect, then perhaps he could appreciate some other part of her. At least that was what her look said to Artemis.

Ferall grunted, not even looking up from what Artemis supposed was the fairy financial times. "We must hope so. We're going to meet a very old fairy family tomorrow, and she will have to look perfect to attract their interest. With any luck we can arrange a marriage above her station. I've arranged for you to miss school for the day so you can prepare to meet them."

Opal looked crestfallen. "Father I..." she took a deep breath, unwilling to go against her father's wishes. "I'm sure I told you about the science award I won in school. The ceremony is tomorrow. I wanted you to come and see me get the reward."

_I wanted you to be proud of me, _her eyes told Artemis. Ferall either didn't see it or her didn't care.

"Don't be such a silly child. Any fool can be the top of a group of infants, whereas not many girls have the opportunity to marry into the Frond family! If you think I'm going to watch you receive some award for designing a cardboard box with pipe cleaners stuck on the sides then you can think again."

"No!" she replied quickly. Too quickly; Artemis saw Ferall bristle at this perceived rudeness. He wouldn't listen to what his daughter said now, no matter how impressive it was. But Opal didn't notice. She continued eagerly, "I redesigned all the lighting for the nursery so that it can be altered to any level of brightness or colour, as well as lowering the energy usage. I thought it would help the toddlers if the lights could be set at different -" her father cut her short,

"I hope that you won't talk such nonsense at the Frond's mansion tomorrow. Grown-ups don't like to hear children interrupt them with their silly little ideas."

"Ferall..." even Opal's vapid mother was somewhat shocked at this blunt rebuttal. But she had never been one to go against her stern husband.

"I have already told your school that you will not be coming in tomorrow. So put all notions of this idea behind you." Opal had frozen. She seemed to be struggling to speak. Finally she forced some words out of her mouth.

"You don't even care, do you?" She wasn't angry. It was as if she had finally realised her Father's indifference to her intelligence. "It doesn't matter to you whether I do well or whether I'm brilliant. Its all the same to you"

"You're being hysterical," he said. She had hardly raised her voice. "Go to your room." She left, and this time the tears were streaming down her face. She made no noise as she climbed the staircase and shut the door of her bedroom. Once inside she slumped to the floor. The sobs racked her fragile body, and her tears burned a path down her cheeks.

*****

"Before then I thought that I wasn't good enough. That my father hated what I did because it wasn't good enough for him. So I tried to please him, but then I finally realised, he hated me because he didn't want me to achieve." This was the real Koboi. She seemed to only then realise she had spoken aloud, and screamed at Artemis. "I hated him! I hated him so much!"

Artemis looked on in silence. It was impossible to hate her whilst she was like this, no matter how much she might deserve it.

The scene around them changed vaguely, short scenes rising from the jumbled confusion of her memories. Opal refusing the marriage offer from the Frond family to continue her education. Opal's repeated clashes with her father, whom she made no effort to please, her scorn for her spineless mother, whom she tormented with insults. The scenes of her childhood flashed before her.

*****

"What is this?"

Ferall Koboi's voice was cold, icy with suppressed rage. He held the document he was referring to before him, arm outstretched accusingly.

Opal grabbed it from him, scanning the contents quickly. "It's... it's from the brotherhood of engineering college! I've been accepted!"

"_You_ have been accepted?" Ferall snarled disbelievingly.

"Yes. Why, is that so hard to believe?"

"You can't have been. The college doesn't accept _children,_" he said, snatching the letter from her, "and anyway they've only ever accepted female applicants as mature..." His voice trailed off as he read the facts.

"What was that you were saying?"

"This is..."

"Yep. Your precious college has accepted me as a student. Do you think that's because I'm so exceptional or does it perhaps say more about your own skills." Opal mocked her father mercilessly, eyes black with malice. Artemis recognised Ferall's type - traditional, domineering, old-fashioned. He probably had very dated beliefs on education, and was probably part of what humans called the 'old boy network'. Someone who believed in the inherent capabilities of the elite, and by definition that elite was male and wealthy.

"You're not going."

Opal froze. "What?"

"You heard me!" he shouted, suddenly losing his temper. "You're my daughter, you do what I tell you! Why didn't you tell me you were applying?"

"You wouldn't have let me anyway, what difference did it make?" Opal stayed cool, her expression showing the contempt she had for her father's lack of self-control. "Besides, you can't say no now. I can't very well apply for another course this late in the year." Artemis could see what she was doing; by allowing her father to get angry whilst she stayed cool she destroyed the parent and child relationship. She was taking the role of the adult, the authority figure, in this conversation.

"I don't care," said Ferall, "You can wait another year."

"No. You don't have the right to stop me."

"The right?" he hissed at her, "the right? I'm your father! You live in my house, you eat my food and you wear the clothes that I pay for!"

At this point Opal's mother entered, hearing the raised voices. She looked from Ferall to her daughter anxiously. "Dear..." she began, but stopped when he spun around.

"I'm going to college. I don't care what you say, I'm going anyway."

He said nothing for a minute, then, not turning around, spoke in a voice of barely suppressed fury. "Get out."

"What?"

"Get out. I'm not having you in this house a minute longer."

At this point her mother stepped in. "Ferall! You can't expect her to just-"

He slapped her backhanded. She fell to the floor without a sound. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes and blue sparks fizzing angrily around her cheek.

He turned to his daughter. "Go. Now."

Opal turned, and quickly walked out of the room. Artemis heard her footsteps echoing in the hallway and the slam of a door. The scene faded.

*****

More memories came to them, drenched in loneliness and hardship. From the age of thirty she had been forced to make her own living without any help. Oh fairy society was much better than human society at looking after the less fortunate; there were no homeless in Haven, but that was just technical details. She had a bed and a roof over her head. No family, no friends, and no security. She had to do everything herself from an equivalent age of about fourteen. Of course, she had managed, she had been determined to succeed, and if anything this had given her new resolve. But she had been utterly miserable for decades.

"Still think we're the same?" She chuckled hollowly.

"I'm sorry."

"I don't want your pity, Fowl. I managed. I coped. I did it all by myself and I'd do it exactly the same all over again. Don't tell me I should have done differently."

"I won't," he said neutrally. He felt the remembered emotions drift around him. "But it can't have been any fun."

She opened her mouth to shout a bitter retort, then closed it. "No," she said, "it wasn't."


	4. Chapter 4

**Attention! This fic has been hugely overhauled and changed fairly substantially. If you read this before and want details go to chapter 10 and read the A/N there. **

They were no longer in Haven, no longer in the fairy world.

"What is this" she asked in a trembling voice.

"No..." a voice spoke but it wasn't Opal's. It was Artemis. "This isn't supposed to happen -" He was cut short by the entry of his eight year old self. The boy looked haggard, his eyes looked far older than they should have at his age. The pressures of his life were already great. The child sat down at a computer and began typing away. Artemis already knew what he was doing, but Opal had no idea of Artemis Fowl's life. She looked curiously at the computers screen. Details of his father's disappearance, or rather a lack of details were being displayed on the screen. Artemis knew that he wasn't really doing anything in this particular memory, merely finding something to occupy his time. His younger self sighed and powered off the Mac. Butler stood at the door, a much leaner, younger and fitter Butler, but a cooler, less familiar one as well. This was some time before their friendship had started to develop.

*****

"I am going to see my mother, Butler. Take care that you don't interrupt." The real Artemis saw the look that passed briefly over Butler's face. His professionalism had been insulted and, for a bearer of the blue diamond, the idea that he would not know to respect his principle's privacy was unthinkable. But that same professionalism covered over any annoyance in an instant, and the younger Artemis Fowl certainly didn't notice.

However whilst they were walking towards the room, Angeline Fowl met them in the corridor.

"Mother! You should be in bed! The doctors said -"

She silenced him with a regal wave of her hand. "Do not tell me what to do, young man. It is certainly none of your business. If you are here to play with my Arty then I am sure one of the maids will show you to his room."

The younger Artemis frowned, not quite understanding this confusing statement. "Mother I - I am Arty!" She wobbled slightly at this statement and stared at him, but her eyes were unfocused. "Don't you recognise your own son?"

"No...no – you are not my son. My little Arty is so good to me. Where is my son? Where is my husband? Arty!"

"Mother please!"

He tried to move towards her, to hug her or comfort her perhaps, but she pushed him away. "Butler! Take this man away this instant! And bring me my son. Arty! Come here, darling, Mummy needs you!"

Young Artemis had been knocked to the floor by her push and he stared up at his mother with watery eyes. But a second later the emotion was stripped away, to be replaced by a cold harsh face. Even Opal was surprised at the expression – she had never seen Fowl at his worst.

He stood up and brushed off his suit delicately. "Very well, Mrs Fowl." A sneer came onto his voice. "I'm afraid your husband is gone and you won't be seeing him for some time. As for your son... I would be surprised if he ever wanted to see you again." Opal drew breath sharply, she couldn't help herself. She had been jealous of Artemis's relationship with his family, particularly his mother. When she took control of her she had been privy to the love and devotion the woman had for her son, and it had sickened her, but at the same time she felt a slight pang at the strength of the bond between the two. This was somehow strangely horrific, even for her.

*****

"I didn't see her for three days after that." Artemis spoke calmly enough. "I used to hear her calling for me." The memory of this moment came forward, and they heard his mother's terrified voice wailing madly. He shuddered at the screams. "I was a child, petulant. Smart enough to know what would hurt her the most, but too self-centred for sympathy."

The rush of memories had stopped at last. They were again in empty space. Both had been shocked and torn at by the unpleasant reminders. Opal's cruel indifference had been dented, and his slightly superior attitude had gone. He could no longer play the role of psychiatrist, couldn't claim to be the healthy individual. He hadn't foreseen that they would both be involved in this.

"Perhaps you were right, Fowl." Opal's voice was a whisper. "I think we aren't very different. But not for the reasons you meant." A gaunt smile spread across her face. "You can be as cruel as I can, as bitter and twisted and vengeful as I am. We're not so different in that respect."

What did she want him to say? He realised she didn't really delight in saying this. There was some satisfaction to her in being able to target him, especially as he had acted so arrogantly. Artemis Fowl had no right to judge her, not by the standards he had set. But at the same time she felt more miserable than vindictive. She didn't know what she wanted at all. And Opal Koboi had always _wanted_ something.

Artemis seemed to be deep in thought, but he shook his head at her accusation. "Perhaps you're not as cruel as you think you are."

"Hmm. No, I think I am. And you're just as bad as me, Fowl. Don't deny it." She stopped abruptly. More memories were coming.

"They're mine again," he said. Despite himself she saw he remained calm. She found herself struggling to keep herself together at all. But he soon lost his composure when he saw what was happening.

"Oh..."

*****

A solitary figure sat hunched up in a cot, curled into the foetal position. She was trembling ever so slightly. As Opal watched the door slid open and Artemis Fowl walked into the cell wearing mirrored lenses. The Elf on the floor didn't notice him enter.

"Looking for something?" A cold voice. The only emotion noticeable was a kind of satisfaction, as though he enjoyed the part he was playing. Opal found herself slightly intimidated by this child, more so than she had ever been of the more adult Artemis. Her hair rose on the back of her neck. He seemed _sinister_ somehow; a far more malevolent presence. Holly Short started at his entry, and glared at the boy, clenching her fist.

"Getting ideas are we, Captain Short? We are both aware of the rules here, Captain. This is my house, you must abide by _my_ rules."

Artemis Fowl seemed not to notice his prisoner's feelings, but Opal did. The unmistakeable tinge of fear in Holly's eyes, pushed to the bottom by her pride and bravery, but still there. The experience of being kidnapped had affected the Captain more than she would have ever admitted. No one was made of steel. Holly's replies were strong and gave away none of her feelings, but Opal seemed not to hear them. The moment of weakness in Holly Short had been unexpected to say the least. But then something made her take notice. Something Fowl was saying.

"Look at your arm. That's where we administered the Sodium Pentathol." He chuckled. "You sang like a bird."

And again Opal saw the fear in Holly, saw the horror almost. "You're mad!" Fowl acknowledged this compliment, pleased with the effect his mind games were having. Opal watched on, amazed, and saw Holly attempt to pull herself one last time. "This isn't over, Fowl, we have powers you can't possibly know about. It would take days to describe them all."

"How long do you think you've been here?"

"A few hours?" A desperate hope.

"Three days. We've had you on a drip for over sixty hours. You told us everything we needed to know." Holly looked stunned. A mixture of terror, hate, disgust and horror flashed across her delicate features as she realised what had been done to her. Even worse was the realisation of how much she had betrayed her people. And the boy revelled in it; you could see by the smile fixed on his face.

When she spoke she could barely get the words out, could barely breathe. "Three days? You could have killed me! What kind of..."

She couldn't finish. Opal saw that she was sickened by his complete disregard for her life and her mind. All the nightmare tales of Mud men that fairies told to their children did no justice to Artemis Fowl the Second. This was no savage, greedy bogeyman that lived in mud and carried a club. Sophistication, intelligence, subtlety and control; the defining characteristics of Artemis Fowl. All brought to bear on the task of defeating the little fairies and stealing their gold. And for what? The money? There were easier ways to get hold of cash; in fact there was almost no way more difficult. But Artemis Fowl had done it for the challenge, for the game. And for that same game he was willing to bring all of his cold cleverness down onto Holly Short, with no pity for the creature who must have looked like a child to him.

Although Opal had tried to play with the minds of her victims, she had never been any good at it. Mostly her enemies, particularly Artemis, had found her mind games amusing. And now she saw why. To see Artemis Fowl turn his mind to what was, in effect, psychological torture, was like sitting at the feet of a cruel giant - she felt like a child, a naive innocent, in front of this. No fairy could hope to detach themselves enough to achieve this emotionless, pitiless state and Opal was shocked. The very fact that Artemis Fowl had managed to affect Holly Short at all was enough to prove how _good_ he was. Opal had killed Holly's mentor, nearly wiped out her friends, and made her the pariah of her entire race, and the Elf had only become more determined to win. And Artemis Fowl had nearly crushed her with a whisper and a smile.

She looked at the real Fowl with new eyes, half admiring him, realising she had never even come close to him. How much had he changed?

*****

The scene had faded, but not before they had both seen Holly slump to the floor, the shock and exhaustion finally taking their toll.

"It was a lie. There was no sodium pentathol." Perhaps he was trying to make an excuse. He sounded more shaken than before. "I had my reasons, as pathetic as they were."

Opal found herself nodding. She stopped herself quickly, but actually she felt little enmity towards Fowl any more. "Why is she – why is Holly your friend?" It wasn't meant as an attack; it was a genuine question.

"I don't know. I suppose - she forgave me. Saw something in me that she thought deserved her charity." He looked at Opal and smiled, but his heart wasn't in it. She looked back into his eyes for a moment and was caught. How could he be so strong, after being forced to relive the worst moments of his life? She could no longer pretend strength, any more than she could pretend that she was pure evil. She was far from 'good', but the role of completely immoral, self-interested villain was no longer a persona she could lose herself in, however comforting it might have been to do so. Free of the madness that had engulfed her mind, she was no longer the despicable, hate-filled creature she had been.


	5. Chapter 5

**Attention! This fic has been hugely overhauled and changed fairly substantially. If you read this before and want details go to chapter 10 and read the A/N there. **

"So where are we now?"

"The University of Atlantis."

An adolescent Opal Koboi was walking briskly through the hallways of the University, some form of electronic notepad tucked under one arm. Rather than sauntering around as if she owned the place as would have been expected, Koboi looked hurried and rather shy. And no wonder; nearly all of the students seemed to be much older than her, even allowing for the usual height difference between pixies and the other fairy races. A group of female elves jostled Koboi as she tried to push through them in her rush. The elves probably weren't trying to pick on Opal; this was University not high school. but neither did they take kindly to this small figure attempting to shove them aside without so much as an 'excuse me'.

"Hey, Koboi, try considering that there're other people in the world for once, huh? I mean people who might have something to do that's as important as your busy life."

Opal seemed not to hear them, and lowered her head slightly, trying to shoulder her way through without making eye contact. She pushed particularly hard into the girl who had spoken out, and the elf refused to be moved, causing the smaller pixie to tumble to the ground. Her electronic notepad, as well as a scattering of what looked like some of her inventions and even a few pens (electronic, obviously), slipped out of her hands. Blushing, Opal hurriedly began scooping them up.

The elf who had knocked her over obviously felt guilty for this, and bent down to help her. "Sorry." she said sheepishly. "But you should slow down a bit. Its not safe for little pixies to barge into the bigger fairies all the time." She clearly meant it as a joke, but Opal stiffened at what she perceived to be another affront.

"Here." The Elf handed over Opal's things. She opened her mouth to speak, possibly to apologise again, perhaps even to invite Opal to walk into town with them to make amends. The young Pixie clearly had no friends here. But before she could speak Opal blushed again, clutched her things and ran off as fast as she could. The girl stared after her retreating form for a few seconds, then returned to her friends. She said something Artemis could not hear, probably because, as Opal had not been near enough to hear, it had no place in her memory. But she remembered the merry laughter that had followed the statement, and it seemed to chase her as she ran away from the Elves. Artemis couldn't help smiling, despite his feeling sorry for her. Opal was the classic 'bookish shy girl' from any teen movie you cared to name.

*****

Another scene in the University, this time in a lecture hall. Opal sat within a large group of students but, again, she clearly didn't know any of them. But, rather than looking shy or nervous, she looked eager and excited. Glancing at her notebook, Artemis saw that she had circled the timetabled lecture, which was to be on 'The practical application of miniaturisation techniques in areas of Public Service'. Hardly a thrilling concept for most, but one that Opal seemed interested in; understandable, considering her interest in invention. Most of the other students were chatting merrily, waiting for the lecturer to arrive, but Opal's huge eyes remained glued to the small stand at the centre of the room.

When the lecturer finally did arrive, Artemis received the shock of his life. He recognised the figure immediately, despite the fact that he was younger, thinner and fitter. Something about the tin foil hat gave him a clue as well. He glanced at the student Koboi; surely she must have not have known that this lecture was going to be delivered by the creature she hated most of all? But Opal's face had lit up, her eyes drinking in every aspect of the centaur's figure. And certainly Artemis could see the attraction in this younger Foaly. With his fine thick fur and muscled lower body combined with the delicateness of his upper body and his intellectual but gently relaxed expression, he cut a dashing figure. Every part of him was the epitome of C.S. Lewis's noble creatures. Even the tin foil hat managed to look jaunty and roguish, rather than a paranoid eccentricity.

He looked back at Koboi again, and there was no doubting the look in the young Pixie's face. Clearly in the past Opal had admired the centaur greatly. As the lecture went on, Foaly proved to be just as overly technical as he was in the current day, and his lecture was as dry as if it had been delivered by a 400 year old gnomish professor. Most of the fairies present seemed to be listening politely but not really taking it in; plenty were slumping their heads forward then jerking them upright as they realised they were falling asleep. Despite the word 'practical' in the lecture title, Foaly seemed to spend most of his time discussing theory and distant future concepts rather than what he had already achieved and put into practice. Artemis could see Opal drink it in though. Whilst he himself was finding the lecture interesting, if a little tinged with the optimistic naivete that most scientists seemed to be plagued with, Opal and Foaly seemed to be occupying their own dream-world. It was hard to tell who was more enthusiastic, the speaker or the listener.

When it was finally over, Opal filed out with the rest of the students, a big smile on her beautiful face. Several other students found themselves smiling for no reason just looking at her. Artemis saw the group of elven girls whom he had seen earlier point at her and smile knowingly. The girl she had knocked into, who clearly still wanted to make amends, sidled over to her and started to walk beside her. Her friends took up positions behind, not wanting to intimidate the younger Pixie. Opal seemed not to even notice the elf until she spoke.

"Wow! I guess someone found that lecture a bit more interesting than the rest of us?"

Opal blushed again, but this time, bolstered by her good mood, she replied: "Didn't you think he was incredible? So many ideas, and he knows exactly what he wants to do with them. And he was so much better at speaking than our college professors. You know, he only left University a few years ago and he's already working for the LEP _and_ he's already had 30 patents? And he designed the new suits for LEP officers, which means -"

The other girls burst into laughter at the excited babble that came from the shy girl. Most other teenage girls would have known that this was not meant as an insult; but Koboi didn't like being laughed at.

"I think someone's got a little crush!"

"Aww. I've heard of cross-species dating before but a centaur and a pixie really would make a strange couple!" At this the girls burst into fits of laughter; it was the kind of vaguely rude, suggestive joke that was typical of student humour. They were just trying to bring her into the group in the best way they could think of. But Opal wasn't even a teenager yet by fairy terms, and she had never had any experience of a normal sociable life. To her it seemed as if the girls had baited her into the conversation for the purpose of making fun of her. She coloured and pushed them aside, running away from them again. Exasperated, the group of elves shrugged their shoulders and let her go. The memory faded there, and the pair were alone again.

*****

"That was... unexpected," said Artemis casually, cursing himself for not being able to think of anything else to say.

"Its true. I always used to admire Foaly when we were at college together. He was so clever. I thought perhaps he would..."

"You liked him?"

"I suppose... I don't know, perhaps I wanted to be friends with him, or just know him. Talk to him maybe. I don't know what I wanted." She laughed, almost hysterically. "Gods! Admiring the donkey. Maybe I really did have some problems."

*****

Another memory interrupted. They were in a large hall, full of LEP officers. A large banner bore the message 'Lower Elements Police Ball'. Artemis looked around at the splendour of the event; it bore a striking resemblance to a human police ball, though far more grand and impressive. As well as officers there were other important-looking members of society; Artemis recognised the uniform of Haven's Mayor from the Book. And, of course, Opal Koboi was present.

Opal had changed again since university; in the ballroom filled with young male fairies in shining uniforms she was dazzling. Constantly surrounded by flattering male officers, she conducted herself elegantly and charmingly. All eyes fell upon her, on her beautiful, angelic face and her slim form held within her light blue dress. She laughed and joked, accepting compliments graciously and politely declining or accepting the never-ending stream of requests for the next dance. And when she did dance, every other man in the room gazed upon her, sighing a little inside, whilst their partners attempted to arrest their attention out of jealousy. But however charming she was, Artemis could see Opal really preferred not to dance, not to take part in the airs and graces of the ballroom. She had learnt to dance, of course, at her father's insistence, but the clumsy flirting of the males was of no interest to her. She had left the aristocratic world behind so that she wouldn't have to be a delicate decoration on the arm of some self-satisfied male.

Eventually, after one particular number, she masterfully worked her way over to where the high command stood, generally looking awkward. Root was scowling in his dress uniform, staring angrily at any officer who seemed to be enjoying himself, which usually caused said officer to miss a few steps of the dance. Root was standing in a circle with several members of the council, whom Artemis did not know. Only one seemed relaxed in this environment, a tall and slender elf with shining silver hair. The person who, if anything, looked even more awkward than Root was Foaly. When Opal came over he frowned slightly, and immediately began conversation with another person in the group. Artemis saw a flicker of uncertainty flash across Opal's eyes, but she soon dispelled it, engaging Root in conversation.

"Commander."

"Miss Koboi," Root hesitated. He had not been born into money, and this formal situation exposed his lack of an education in the ceremonies of the upper classes.

"Don't worry, Commander, I'm not here to make petty small talk." A dazzling smile brightened even his sour look, and the straight talk created an instant liking for her in the dour Root. "You are aware of course that Koboi Labs is producing a replacement to the old Dragonfly wing series. These wings are also standard LEP equipment. I am here to force an assurance that you will pay me huge amounts of money for them when they prove to be far superior to your old equipment."

Root hesitated before he answered, and the other councillors glanced at each other nervously. She seemed to be joking, but they had also heard about the takeover of her father's business.

"Miss Koboi." Root bowed. "I am the commander of the LEP, not the quartermaster."

"Of course."

She made to turn away but he stopped her. "Out of interest... Top speed?"

She smiled indulgently. "Mach 3."

"Max. height?"

"When the air is too thin to breathe." A chuckle went round the group.

"And range?"

"Unlimited." Root forgot the sense of occasion and grunted appreciatively. The dragonfly series was petrol-driven, and, however energy efficient, the engine would eventually splutter to a halt.

"Miss Koboi!" The centaur interrupted her rudely. "How are you achieving this 'unlimited' power supply?"

The other council members started at this, but, pleased at seeing Foaly take an interest in her work, Opal didn't notice the centaur's mood. She answered excitedly. "Solar panels designed specially by myself. They are highly efficient and can store up to 48 hours of battery energy after only one hour's exposure to the sun."

Foaly sneered at what to Artemis seemed like incredible efficiency for solar panels. "You seemed to have overlooked the fact that we live underground, Miss. How exactly do you suppose solar panels will work underground? Or, for example, on an overcast day?"

Far from being put out by this, Opal seemed to be enjoying what she apparently thought to be a scientific discussion rather than the personal attack that it was. "80% of wing usage is in above ground 'recon' or retrieval missions. And in any case when the solar battery runs out a nuclear power source takes over which will last far longer than the lifetime of the rest of the wing's components. Or indeed the lifetime of the officer."

"A nuclear power source?" Foaly snorted. "I'd prefer to see a more stable form of energy used, not to mention the environmental problems with disposing of used radioactive isotopes!"

"The half-life is a mere thousand years. Which is much less than any current nuclear power sources, such as the ones that power the Neutrino 2000, for example." Foaly muttered something under his breath. Of course the Neutrino 2000 was his invention, and he saw this as another sleight by the irritating pixie. She chuckled at this, and any other male in the room would have been charmed by her laughter and gentle teasing.

"First blood to me then, Mr Foaly?"

"What!"

"Now that our Laboratories are in competition I mean. I'm sure you'll find me quite your equal in providing for our excellent police force." Root grinned at Foaly's discomfort, acknowledging the compliment to the LEP with a most unprofessional wink at the Pixie. Clearly there was more to this girl than looks and daddy's money.

A fairy standing next to Root came forward and bowed deeply to Opal, momentarily distracting her from Foaly. He was handsome and relatively tall for a fairy, though not enough to be lanky. He looked the exact opposite of Root, dignified and cool, with the graceful languish that marked him as one of the higher social classes.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Miss Koboi, but I could hold back no longer. Would you grace me with this dance?"

Opal glanced back at Foaly, obviously wanting to continue to talk, but he had turned away for want of a comeback. She looked the young officer up and down, then smiled.

"Certainly... Lieutenant."

If Foaly had found a match for his intellect in Opal Koboi, then she had certainly found her match in the dance hall. The pair swept through the room of fairies, the placing of their feet perfectly in time with the music, occasionally adding elaborations that sent the pixie whirling around the dashing lieutenant. And Artemis had to admit they looked good together; two handsome young people in perfect physical harmony, the swiftness of the music keeping them slightly rosy-cheeked through shortness of breath. The song changed to a slower number, and many other young males looked to see if the pair would break up, eager for a chance to show off their own skills. But, for the moment, they stayed together. The slowness of the song allowed them to catch their breath, and begin to talk. The lieutenant drew Opal closer, and whispered in her pointed ears.

"I'm impressed"

"You're not so bad yourself"

"Oh, the dancing. No I meant with your conversation." He swept her under his arm into a pirouette, and when she came back she looked puzzled.

"Why?"

"Not many of us manage to wind the centaur up so easily, in fact it usually works the other way round."

"Wind him up?"

"Claiming innocence? I must admit you did it masterfully enough, but you're not fooling anyone. You must know how much he resents you."

Opal seemed genuinely surprised, even a little worried. "Resents me?"

He chuckled at this. "Of course. No one has been able to threaten his monopoly at the LEP for some time. If you were to take _any_ of his funding he'd be livid."

"I don't believe you. Mr Foaly and I are scientists; we are concerned with knowledge and learning. Not with money."

"Everyone is concerned with money. Even if they weren't, you threaten his reputation by working against him."

"But I don't want to work against him" She blushed. "I want to work _with _him"

"Then I am afraid he doesn't share your dreams. A pity really. I'm sure you would have made a perfect team."

She bit her lip, glancing over to the corner where the high command stood talking. Then she gathered herself. "Mr Foaly has a registered IQ of over 300, sir. If two highly intelligent people are not above the petty intrigue of politics I would be very surprised."

"If you say so. But if the unlikely does happen, I would suggest that business relations between Koboi Laboratories and the LEP might be... somewhat difficult. In that situation I might offer my service."

"My inventions speak for themselves."

"Of course. But, and forgive me for this cliché, it's not what you know, it's who you know. And I hold the Commander's ear." The song came to an end. "I am sure you know how to contact me if you find yourself in need of any help." He bowed gracefully.

"I am only sorry that the conversation was not as stimulating as your dancing."

He grinned rakishly. "Goodbye, Miss Koboi."

"Goodbye, Mr Cudgeon."


	6. Chapter 6

**Attention! This fic has been hugely overhauled and changed fairly substantially. If you read this before and want details go to chapter 10 and read the A/N there. **

"So what happened?"

"The next day Foaly wrote a scathing attack on the quality of my work, my research and the ethics of Koboi Laboratories as a corporation. It was published originally in his column in _New Lore_ - a fairy scientific journal, but it was picked up by the papers and the news stations. He even referenced Dr. Cumulus's psychological profiling that stated I was a dangerous megalomaniac and possible schizophrenic." The memory floated into vision for a second. Artemis caught a glimpse of a distraught Koboi staring at a paper, an expression of tragic disbelief on her face.

Artemis looked at her, his head full of thoughts. Most prominent amongst them was pity. "Did it really bother you that much?"

She seemed to shrink into herself at the question. "I don't know. I think - I thought he would be - different."

Different from who?

"What did you expect from Foaly?"

She shook her head, as if to clear his voice from her mind. She seemed to be struggling to say something. As if she didn't know how to say what she thought, or even if she knew what she thought at all.

Artemis frowned, wanting to speak but unsure what he could say. He didn't understand what she was saying, couldn't follow her emotions. As if in answer to his puzzlement, another memory started to begin, causing Opal to flinch instinctively. But she needn't have worried; it was another one of his.

*****

The Artemis Fowl they saw was very young, but not much younger than in the last memory they had seen. As usual he was glued to the computer screen, a huge expressionless Butler standing behind him as if he had been carved out of stone. Another figure walked into the study, one whom Opal immediately took to be his father, Artemis Fowl the first. The man had dark hair and stunning blue eyes. He had the same look of intelligence, but he looked shrewder and harder than his son. This was a man who had lived through all the extremes of life, a life of crime and dealing with the scum of society. He was dressed in a dark pair of trousers and a black V-necked sweater, surprisingly more casual than his son who wore his regular tailored suit. Immediately after him came a huge man dressed in a dark suit. Even Butler's father, for he could not have been anyone else, wasn't as huge as his son, but even so, the two bodyguards filled the generously sized study. The father gave his son a professional nod, the formal acknowledgement the only recognition passing between them.

"Artemis."

"Yes, Father?" The boy looked up eagerly into his father's eyes, sensing the business-like tone he had spoken in.

"May I enquire why my Swiss account's balance seems to have risen by five hundred thousand since I last checked it?"

The boy smiled, pleased that he had both fulfilled the task he had set himself and seemingly done so without his father realising what he had done or how he had done it .

"Just following in the family footsteps. Aren't you pleased? It's a fair sum of money for a 7-year old to procure, don't you think?"

"What did you do, Artemis?"

The boy's expression of pleasure faded somewhat at the stern tone. "I transferred the money from some of your business rival's accounts over the internet. The security was almost non-existent. The difficulty was ensuring -"

His father cut him short. "And how do you know this money is truly ours? All that's happened is that you've moved numbers around. Anybody can move numbers around on a screen, Artemis; it's the solid, hard cash you need to worry about." The internet was still a new technology in those days, so it was no wonder Artemis Senior was sceptical.

The boy's face fell however. "But - I thought that - "

"Aurem Potestas Est, Artemis. You don't have the money until it's sitting in your hands. And without the money, you have no power. Aurem Potestas Est." He quoted the Latin as if it were a chant, doggedly enforcing it into the mind of his listener.

Artemis bowed his head. "I am sorry, Father. Next time I will do better."

"See that you do." He began to walk out of the study. Artemis the younger seemed to sag slightly, as if he had become smaller in his disappointment. His father stopped at the door.

"Artemis? Well done. You're thinking along the right lines." And with that he left. The slightest approval from his father was enough to cause a broad smile to spread across Artemis junior's pallid face.

*****

"It's true." Artemis spoke softly. "Sometimes being a genius isn't enough. Self-satisfaction isn't enough. It's nice to be appreciated by another once in a while."

Artemis saw Opal in his peripheral vision nod her head once, and he glanced across at her. She was looking directly at him. It was hard to believe she could be the evil creature who had done her best to ruin all of their lives. Now she just looked scared. Scared and alone.

"So, you wanted someone to - understand you? To tell you what you thought you knew: that you'd done well." Artemis frowned; somehow that didn't sound right. If Opal's mind was anything like his, which the memories seemed to be trying to tell him it was, then it must be more complex than that.

He voiced his thoughts aloud: "Not that then but - something like that."

She nodded again. "It was lonely. To feel your mind so alive, so full of ideas, yet with no-one to understand how it -" she seemed to realise that she had spoken all of this in a rush, and clamped her mouth shut.

"I know the feeling." Artemis looked at her but she averted her eyes. Still not ready. "I think I know what must have happened next. Cudgeon."

She flinched at the name. They had already seen a glimpse of her past with the disgraced officer, and now parts of those memories came to them. A disfigured Cudgeon meeting Opal at her office, proposing his plan to crush her enemies and put the technological future of the Fairies into her _deserving _hands. At first Cudgeon was flattering, subservient to her, aware how little he had to offer her. But he soon realised that Opal Koboi was hooked on every word that came from his swollen lips, every blatant flattery and twisted lie. Soon it was not just a plan to embarrass Foaly, but to crush him, and the rest of the LEP. His flattery caused the betrayal Opal felt to turn into hatred, into a sense that her own importance and genius had been insulted by the entirety of the Lower Elements. Opal was not a naturally spiteful creature, but pixies are prone to huge mood swings at seemingly random events. Their plan became one to topple all of the Fairy government, to install Opal and Cudgeon in their _rightful_ place at the head of society. Artemis sensed all this through distorted memories and emotions. As the time bubble infused both inhabitants with its unique magic, their sense of empathy with each other's feelings was starting to increase dramatically. He no longer just saw the memories, he felt them almost as if he were experiencing them himself. At the same time she was able to feel his pity, and it made her feel weak, pathetic.

"Tell me again Briar. Tell me about the future." She shuddered with anguish as the Opal in the memory shuddered in delight at the words of Briar Cudgeon. Artemis saw just how much Cudgeon had affected her. Previously he, and everyone else, had thought they were just as treacherous as each other. Far from it.

"Oh no. As soon as this charade is over, Miss Koboi will have a tragic accident. Perhaps several tragic accidents."

All the colour drained from her face. "You!"

Artemis knew what she had meant. _You too. _Deep within her heart she had felt it, and so he felt it too. Another betrayal, another hope smashed, a final blow to the pixie. _Et tu, Briar?_

"Opal..." Artemis's voice was full of emotion. He felt her pain more keenly than he thought he ever could have.

She had pulled herself inwards, hugging her slim legs to her tiny frame. Her beautiful eyes looked at him over her knees, rimmed with tears. He felt an urge to pull her towards him, to envelop her in his arms, his body. It was torture feeling each others' thoughts so closely and yet being separate from one another. Instead he watched her from a distance, leaving her to hold herself.

Her voice trembled, and she stumbled over her words, choking back the tears. "I was betrayed – again, I was, I – I felt like -"

"I know, Opal. I know."

She coughed. Perhaps she had meant to laugh bitterly. "No you don't. Don't tell me you know what it's like to be me. When have you ever felt like this?"

"I know what it's like to be alone. I know what it's like to feel unappreciated. I know what it's like to grow up as a child without a father, without any family or friends." She was silent then. It was true.

"But," Artemis's voice rose in strength now, "now I have a family, and friends. And they have helped me, made me stronger and made me a better person. And that is no small thing." He thought for a moment before he spoke: "No-one can be alone. No matter how much you try to persuade yourself that you can be individual, that you are strong enough to live by yourself, we depend on other people. We _are_ social animals. No one wants to be alone, not really."

She looked at him again. She saw nothing but sincerity in his eyes, and for some reason it made her feel even more wretched. She couldn't accept his words. Though she felt the truth of what he was saying, she shut her ears to it. She said nothing.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hah. This is the chapter where I try and explain the continuity problems. Prepare to be engulfed in wikipedia science. If you don't care that there's no continuity then you might find this kinda pointless, and it's not the most exciting scene ever. But you can't say I didn't explain it at least as well as Colfer does! **

Opal felt the memories swirl around them vaguely, and frowned. "This can't be happening."

Artemis looked at her, surprised at the line. She had seemed to be pulling herself together. "It is happening, Opal. You need to accept that."

She tutted impatiently. "No, you don't understand. This can't be happening; it's technically impossible."

Artemis was completely lost. Was this just a touch of her madness? She didn't seem panicked. Excited would be the word he would use to describe her, though that wasn't quite right either. He decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that those couldn't have been my memories! Those events took place after the place in time I came from. I know they happened because I travelled through the time-stream." She glared at him, half-angrily. "That's why I knew how much I had to blame you for. But I never experienced them myself! These aren't _my _memories!"

Artemis's head spun with this revelation. Of course! Why hadn't he seen it? It was a huge oversight on his part, and he could only put it down to his own engrossment with the memories. Amazing then, that she had been able to notice in the midst of her psychological turmoil. "You're right! But then..."

"Ohhh." Opal reeled slightly, as though dazed. "My head hurts. What's happened to my mind?" Before he could answer, she continued. "These memories. They're in me, they aren't mine, but they are, they're inside of me. I was there! But I... couldn't have been?"

It sounded like a question, but Artemis was genuinely speechless; he couldn't even begin to think of an explanation. But there must be a perfectly logical one.

Opal was still struggling with what she had just realised. "How - how? It's not possible. It's all me, but it's not the same me. But it must be. How can it -" But she couldn't finish the sentence. She felt as if her own mind didn't make sense; her memories that felt so solid to her she knew could not be real, and it felt like her own person was insubstantial. It was too much for it to be inside of her own head, her own past. She _was _her own future self, but at the same time she was her past self, her past self who didn't _fit _with her future self. Her future self had no memory of her, but she had her own future self's memories, which she couldn't possibly know about. She slumped down as if the mental activity had exhausted her physical body.

Artemis's brain flashed into activity at last. "Of course! Magical resonance. The two of you could not possibly exist in the same time, so your future self would be destroyed."

"What? Why?" Opal dragged herself back to reality, quashing the confusion she felt.

Artemis continued excitedly. "You could not physically exist here, not whilst the 'future' you did. Time travel is possible because whatever happens has already happened, so in effect there is only one version of history. If you exist then you must have had a past existence, and if your past has happened it was always that way. You have no memory of travelling through time in your most _recent _self, therefore you must not have done so. A person can only possess one stream of consciousness."

Opal managed to listen and understand enough to know that his babble didn't actually make sense. It was as if he was voicing his thoughts the second they emerged. "You're not making any sense!" she screamed at him; if he wasn't going to help the least he could do was let her have a mental breakdown without distractions.

Artemis forced himself to calm down, gathering his thoughts and meditating briefly. He continued slowly. "It is my belief that time travel must be impossible, at least in the conventional definition of 'time'. The amount of energy theoretically needed to accelerate an object beyond the speed of light is infinite, and therefore impossible. The observation of this truth is that there is only one timeline: Novikov's self-consistency principle holds that if an event exists that could alter the past in any way, the probability of that event happening is zero. What Novikov misses is that, conversely, backwards time travel must be impossible; any event which has an effect on the past would alter it, so nothing can pass backwards through time. Are you aware of the Many-worlds interpretation?"

Opal stirred her powerful brain into action. "The idea that whenever a choice is made there is an alternate universe where the opposite of that choice occurs?"

"Sort of. Except that in quantum mechanics the idea is that every possible outcome to every event defines or exists in its own history or world, and events are viewed on an atomic or subatomic level." Artemis frowned. "Yet I believe this to be unquantifiable. Unless you can ascertain randomness through Heisenberg's uncertainty principle the many-worlds cannot exist. In effect you must prove the existence of 'chance'; that any event is possible because the action of particles occurs randomly. Yet an impossibility of defining simultaneously both position and velocity of a microscopic particle absolutely does not deny the reality of its position and velocity or its adherence to universal laws. There are no infinite worlds where every possibility is realised because only one actuality is, in effect, possible. Ergo there can only be one timeline."

Opal, surprisingly, found herself drinking this in. She was less familiar with quantum mechanics in specificity, and the human ideas were slightly different from the fairies' ideas. One in particular was important here. "But this theory only holds in a model that does not allow for the existence of magic."

"Exactly! With magic time travel is evidently possible, despite the logical impossibility of it. What the warlocks never realised is that they would create a paradox whenever they sent someone, or something, back in time. If a past has existed where no-one interferes, then it is paradoxical that anything could be placed back in time - it creates two pasts."

Opal interrupted him. "But if even the movement of one subatomic particle were affected, the past, and conversely the future, could not remain as a single timeline. And clearly moving whole beings has a huge effect on countless particles. It's the Chaos Theory. That is, tiny differences in the molecules of any system can lead to enormous differences in the final state of the system even over fairly small timescales."

Artemis was delighted with being able to discuss with someone as quick as him, rather than how he normally felt when explaining his ideas, which was generally as if he was talking to an infant. "This is why we arrive at the state whereby anything that has happened must always have happened."

"Of course!" Opal interrupted him excitedly, "Chaos Theory holds that future events are determined. The appearance of randomness is actually due to the fact that all events are actually caused by a colossal series of subatomic events, so that we could never possibly predict them. It's like you said with the - what did you call it?"

He raised his eyebrows, but answered, "The many-worlds interpretation?"

"Yeah, that." Artemis was unaccustomed to being used so dismissively. "So with that there aren't 'many' worlds because only one outcome was possible?" Artemis nodded. "So... there must be some sort of way of allowing for time travel within that. How much do you know about the theory?"

Artemis felt slightly off-balance by the speed of the conversation. "The magic creates a temporal state whereby time travel and existence in a separate point of the time stream is possible, but this must be reverted back to physical reality. N°1 told Holly and I that if we did not come back in time within three days we would be stuck there, but in reality we would have ceased to exist."

"In theory it was never possible that you would not return." Opal interjected.

"Well, of course," he replied, smiling faintly at the interruption. "The problem is that once you allow for the existence of magic, a million new questions have to be answered. Evidently the existence of magic means that the past _can _be altered - depending of course on your definition of 'altered' - but I still believe that once it has 'happened', it must have always happened."

"You realise that what you said doesn't make logical sense? Something cannot be altered at a certain point in time and yet have always happened."

"And of course you realise what I actually meant." He grinned mischievously at her. "I think the best way to think of it is as a sort of cosmic slip-up."

She snorted dismissively, but her eyes were shining back at him, full of intelligence. "So what you're saying is that because the magic defies possibility, the physical law of the universe is forced to correct its interferences?"

"I suppose..."

Opal shook her head. "It would be more likely that the magic itself is. Magic is a self-regulating entity; though it is focused in sentient creatures it is in itself reactively intelligent. You've been in the time-stream, you must have noticed. This is how time manipulation has been performed for centuries, despite the theory itself being completely unknown."

"The warlocks work with their 'feelings'; I can remember Holly telling me that magic wasn't scientific, that I had to use my feelings. But she didn't understand either."

Opal rolled her eyes. "The fairies have built it into this religion, but actually it's all perfectly understandable by science, if only someone were to make the effort. Their reverence stops them from even trying to apply basic formulas to a magical system."

Artemis sighed. "I always find it is pointless to explain these things using language rather than mathematics."

"I know!" Opal burst out, then actually blushed. She hid it in a scowl. "So, because I exist here now the self I had in the future could not logically exist so now she doesn't?" It didn't seem quite right to her, though it was certainly along the right lines.

"Ugh." Artemis frowned at his expression, though there didn't seem to be a better word to describe the state of his thoughts right now. He needed a computer, or at least a piece of paper. This was too hard for even a genius to work out in his head. "You seemed to have subsumed your future self's memories, at any rate. The magic seems to have resolved the problem by physically melding your two magical... _identities _together, which raises even more questions."

When the topic returned back to her own mind, Opal felt uneasy again, but she felt more solid after their theorising. She realised that she had been talking with him unrestrainedly, and felt exhilarated too. But now the issue had been resolved she felt the magic in the air begin to invade her senses once more. The angry memory swirling around them would not wait for them to continue their discussion, and she started to quiver at its dominating presence in her consciousness.

Artemis felt it coming too. Its palpable malevolence felt muggy in the air. He still had a million unanswered questions; for the first time in ages he was beginning to doubt his own theories, but they would have to wait. They had resolved what their current situation was and that would have to do for the time being.

**P.S. Apologies to Dem for not taking your advice more on this, I think this monstrosity of a chapter is long enough as it is without putting more action in. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Attention! This fic has been hugely overhauled and changed fairly substantially. If you read this before and want details go to chapter 10 and read the A/N there. **

"The coma..."

"Yes, I heard about it from Holly."

"I see."

"I've been thinking about it. Holly didn't realise, and Foaly probably didn't either; he's fairly ignorant of psychology, but a coma isn't just like being asleep. They all assumed you were able to put yourself in a coma easily, that it was like being separate from your body, free to think normally."

Despite the state she was in, Opal managed a snort of contempt.

"Exactly. No human or fairy psychologists really understand the state of mind experience by a person in that state, so I knew that even a self-induced one would probably be, well, how to put this... most people in a deep coma wake with no memory of it, their brain having been in a state of activity even lower than when they are asleep. You cannot simply shake someone out of a coma like you can with someone who is asleep. But according to Holly, you were 'plotting'? I knew it could not be that simple."

No point in answering that question. She couldn't explain, but soon he would know.

"I – I don't want to remember this. I don't want to go through this again. Please." She begged him. All of her pride had been shattered. It didn't matter now.

"I can't."

Artemis felt a wave of feelings envelop him. The magic was becoming more pervasive, melding them together. Much like when he had transported Hybras, Artemis felt the magic create a web between their minds where thoughts were transferred in an instant, and yet it was different, hugely so. It was a far more base and instinctual link, functioning and interacting with the deeper recesses of the minds. Unlike the wave of clarity he had experienced that other time, this was almost entirely opposite; utter confusion. It felt as if he were simultaneously trying to occupy two minds, neither of which were his own. Communication was not wilful, but questions and answers shot through the darkness without words nonetheless. He had time to think how much their bodies must be steeped with the magic when all other thoughts were forced out of his head. Opal's being entered every part of his mind and he began to invade her agonisingly. Artemis dug mercilessly into her mind and she tried to push him out as she felt the deepest parts of her being laid bare. Desire and hunger came pushing their way to the front.

_Yes... hunger for success, hunger for control, power and victory. This is what you want. This is what you've always wanted. _A question? An accusation? Perhaps the important question was who was it aimed at?

_You've always wanted that... yes? _

_No. Not always. Once I would have been happy with less. _

_Never. You would have hungered for more. To use yourself, that brilliant mind, always ticking away. Content - never. To prove yourself._

Prove myself? Myself to myself? _What would be the point? I am always brilliant. I just have to __**be**__. _

_Not true though, is it?_ If the question had been spoken, this would have been said slyly, knowingly - as it was the magic wrapped the thoughts around them like liquid.

_You wanted people to worship you. You need someone to praise you. Anyone would do, right?_

_And what about you? Daddy wasn't there, daddy didn't care. What did you want? A word from Daddy and you decided to be a hero instead? Anything for approval, right?_

_Oh but he did care. No, it was my mother who didn't care. Daddy hated me almost as much as he was scared of me. _

There comes a time when every child realises their parents are just normal people. When that time comes you either love and respect them for themselves or you fall apart. Opal realised very early on that her parents weren't much of a person even if you added them together. _So, I crushed them. Well, one of them. Mummy couldn't think for herself enough to need her own crushing. She rose and fell with the half a man whose arm she decorated. _

And Artemis did, of course, love and respect his parents greatly, right? _Really? When you look at Artemis Fowl the__** first**__, do you really see a man? Or does he seem like a god to you? _

_Of course not._

_Then why do you worship him? When did you do anything because you wanted to? A life of crime not for you any more? The Fowls are going straight, right? Who made that decision? You? But you're a good guy now. Right? _

Anger and vicious spite dyed the magic red. _Shut up._ _You only transferred your need to whoever happened to be there._ _Anyone would do._

_No!_

_Liar. Let me show you._

As Opal's mind was torn into mercilessly she began to writhe before him, twisting and convulsing violently at the invasion. He watched her, then forcibly held her body down to keep her from injuring herself. A thousand images were stripped from her memories and experiences. Artemis could see everything that happened to her in the coma, all that she decided in her mutilated, insane mind. The tangled mess was laid out bare.

_You never knew what I could do until it was too late, Daddy. Such a shame. I had to destroy you, you see? I had to prove to you that I was better. Why didn't you just let me show you? It's all your own fault. Stupid Daddy. _

_Silly Foaly. Silly donkey. Too jealous to see. Are all men this stupid? Ah, but that's not it, is it? You know I'm better than you so you're scared. Well you're right to be scared..._

_No, he wasn't. I wasn't a threat. To him! Well they say never meet your idols. We could have been sooo good together._

Mad little thoughts sprang across her mind in its strange state of conscious subconsciousness. This was the Opal he knew. Childish, malicious and oddly comical even whilst she was doing her very best to kill you.

_And Cudgeon._

_Stupid ugly elf. I only joined with him for convenience. _

_But he betrayed me. Tricked me. I thought I was your princess. Princess of the whole world. Wasn't that what you wanted? It was supposed to be the future! _

And that had meant so much to her. She had never suspected Briar because she honestly believed he wanted her. She should have suspected him, should have been clever enough to see through him, mad as he was, often violent. But she took the blows for someone, anyone, who could care for her, to make her important. She wanted to be important, wanted the feeling that she had done well. She needed someone to praise her.

_It felt good. It felt good to be wanted. I was happy._

And then?

_He betrayed me. Everyone betrays me. No-one admires me, no-one needs me, no-one depends on me. No-one wants me to do well, no-one wants me to succeed._

_No-one cares for me._

Artemis's felt the pain sear through his mind, a bitter sting that left him with a feeling of hollowness, of utter misery. He wanted to call out to Opal, to comfort her, to fight away the feelings. There was nothing he _could _do; the feelings had already happened. She had already felt this pain, and now she had to live through it all over again. He could feel two beings with him, one from her memories one from now and he couldn't help either of them. _There is no point in this, _he thought angrily, _nothing good can come of it. It's just cruel._

Opal's mind in the coma was confused and warped but still fast. The despair that had been with her since her childhood had been laid bare, but now her mind worked fast to crush it, to bury it underneath her outer shell once more. She suppressed the pain and sorrow through great struggle, and Artemis could feel the damage that he knew this unhealthy suppression of emotion must be doing.

The only thing Opal could find to override her sorrow was hatred. She summoned up the pain and turned it into hatred, forcing her mind to become what the world already thought she was, a bitter spiteful and ultimately evil creature.

_They betrayed me. Every single one betrayed me!_

Pushing aside the sick feeling of self-pity, she forced herself to be angry at this. Emotions and ideas she didn't have naturally were brought to the fore of her mind, because it was easier. It was easier to blame someone else.

_After all, I am a genius. I am! They don't appreciate me because they are fools. My father, Foaly, Cudgeon, Artemis Fowl. I hate them. I hate the LEP, I hate Root and Holly and the council and the stupid fairies. No one wants me, and I don't want them. I don't need other people. People are stupid and petty and blind._

Perhaps she was right. Artemis could hardly blame her for that. After all, when had anyone ever done anything for her? Her life had been one long betrayal, and she had tried so hard.

_I was let down by other people. I depended on them, and I was betrayed. Never again. I'll never trust anyone ever again. I'll be safer with no-one to get in my way._

_I'm my own person; an individual. I can become powerful on my own. If no-one appreciates me when I try to help them then I'll force them to instead. If no-one sees how brilliant I am then I will dazzle them with my genius._

Over the weeks, over the months, Opal Koboi's brilliant mind started to fester, started to fall apart and eat away at itself. All the obsessive hatred, the narcissism, the evil, came from a damaged mind. A mind that spent almost a year, _a whole year, _with nothing but despair, sorrow, pain, hatred and loneliness. It became her whole being, she became possessed by it. With nothing but her mind for company, Opal Koboi's mind, her wonderful, intelligent mind went mad.

_I am the greatest person on this planet. Everyone must see that. I will make everyone see. I will crush my enemies, I will take the power that I deserve, by whatever means that I can._

Artemis shuddered as the coma finally ended. He felt physically sick. The madness that had permeated him still haunted his thoughts. He realised just how much the two of them had become connected; he felt Opal more than he saw her now, though he could still see her in front of him. He let go of her shoulders where he had been holding her body still. She was crying, the water pouring unchecked from her eyes, her whole body shaking as she succumbed to the silent tears. Again he felt the huge surge of compassion arise within him, and this time he could do something. He reached out and pulled her gently towards him; she stiffened slightly as he did so but couldn't do anything to stop him. He put his arms around her, just his arms, as he sat next to her. She cried still, as if she was barely aware of his presence, and he hugged her to his body, feeling the softness of her hair on the side of his arm as he gently held her shoulders. And she was comforted, just a little. For now it was enough to feel another body against hers, another soul close to hers, and it didn't matter whose it was.

Artemis couldn't think of anything to say, and his mind wouldn't work properly. The thoughts wouldn't marshal themselves into cogent process. All he could think was how fragile she felt to him. She felt insubstantial in his arms, and he could sense her thoughts drift around him, like pale impressions of the brilliant mind they had come from. It was then that he realised: she could be lost here. If she didn't hold on, she could lose herself forever.


	9. Chapter 9

**Attention! This fic has been hugely overhauled and changed fairly substantially. If you read this before and want details go to chapter 10 and read the A/N there. **

"Opal!" Artemis yelled at her, as he felt her slipping away from him. Her whole body felt light in his hands, and he grasped her, as if he could hold her together through physical force. With the amount of magic that had saturated their bodies and minds, they had become fragile, weak. The reason they had been able to feel each other so closely was that they were starting to become a part of the same stream of magic which enveloped them both. But that wasn't healthy, it wasn't stable. Normally it wouldn't be a problem for a person to reassert their physical form, but with her mental state there was a risk that -

"Opal, listen to me. You have to hold on. You have to keep yourself together." He spoke calmly, asserting the sound of his voice as a doctor does to a critical patient slipping into unconsciousness. Just keeping the patient focused on holding the conversation was enough to make the difference between life and death.

She gazed at him with deadening eyes. "What's the use? I'm so tired of it all, Artemis. I'm so very tired. I don't want to go on any more."

"Listen to me." His voice was firm and authoritative. "You can't die here, Opal. It's not time for you to die yet. You can't want to give up now."

"Let me go. Let me fall apart. I just want to drift away, drift away, forever. I don't want to have to think any more. It's so painful to do so, It's painful to live."

Her words were getting vaguer, as though she was unsure whether she was speaking aloud. Artemis knew that her grip must be loosening. "Opal, listen to me. I didn't put you through all this to let you fade away. I'm not letting that happen."

She smiled, a light, airy smile tinged with a terrible weariness. "I'm sorry. And I thank you. But there's nothing you can do now. There's nothing for me to live for any more. And it's so comfortable here. It's very, very comfortable." And she closed her eyes, stopped looking at him. Artemis felt her in his arms, falling apart. He pulled her even closer, to his chest, and clutched her head in one hand, stroking her hair. He couldn't think of anything to do. He didn't know what he could say, what he could do to stop this.

"Opal it feels bad now, but you have to trust me. It will be better than this. I know it will. Look at you. You're already a better person. Look at what happened to me. I used to be just like you, could have been worse than you." He smiled, forcing the expression onto his face. "It's worse for you, because you didn't have anyone to help you. For me, it was just luck. Luck that I had parents who loved me and cared for me. Who could show me the right way, who could praise me and encourage me to do the right things, as well as the clever things. And I had so many friends. Holly has taught me what it means to care for other people. Butler has taught me to place other people's lives above my own gain. You're not an evil person, Opal. Not really. You've been hurt, and you've been damaged, but it can get better. It will get better. Trust me. I know." Partly he was babbling anything to keep her listening to him, and he felt she was listening to his words, thought for a second he could feel her getting stronger.

But then: "Who is there for me, Artemis? Perhaps you're right. Perhaps for you it's the truth. But there's no-one for me. No-one can show me the way. No-one is there for me; no-one has ever been there for me and no-one ever will."

"No, Opal-"

"Yes! It's the truth. I'm alone. All alone, with nothing to hope for. What is there for me to live for. I have nothing left but shame. I'm sorry for what I did, I'm sorry for the pain I caused, I'm sorry. But let me go now. Don't make me go on in shame and fear. No-one can ever be there for me, not after what I've done. Can anyone forgive me? Will you forgive me? "

"I forgive you," he said without a moment's hesitation.

But she laughed bitterly. "I don't believe you. Don't worry, I don't blame you. I don't deserve it."

She seemed resigned now. It felt like the right thing to do, the easiest way to solve all the problems. No-one wanted Opal Koboi to be in the world. What was there for her in the fairy world. A prison cell? And she couldn't live in the human world any more. The world had no place for Opal Koboi.

"There's no reason for me to keep going Artemis. No-one wants me, and I don't mind." But still she started to cry. "Please. Tell me it's okay. Tell me I can go now.

He looked down at her beautiful ethereal face with desperation as it seemed to fade right in front of him. He put both his hands on her cheeks and tried to force her to look into his eyes. But she closed hers again, denying him to the last.

So he did the only thing he could think of. He drew her face towards his and held her gently. And then he leant forward and kissed her.

Immediately she stiffened underneath him, hardened. She made no effort to do anything, to resist or to kiss him back. But it was enough to shock her, and immediately he felt her presence strengthen from this simple feeling. It was the shock more than anything that did it. He felt ridiculous, but somehow that was what made the difference. The stupidly simple act was that little bit of reality that was needed. It was an absurd decision from Artemis Fowl the genius; absurd that he couldn't think of anything more intelligent to do or say. It could never have worked.

But strangely, for that very reason, it did. Opal opened her eyes and looked up at him kissing her. She breathed out through her nose sharply, then giggled, a silly noise leaking from the back of her throat. He frowned and pulled away. His puzzled expression was the last straw for Opal; the confused sincerity was comical. She tried hopelessly to hold it in, then threw back her head and howled with laughter.

"What?" Artemis Fowl felt absolutely ridiculous. What could he say to this? He sat there feeling extremely awkward. He realised he was still holding her and released her hastily, and she fell backwards, her tiny legs kicking uncontrollably with mirth. She was completely unable to speak. She ran out of breath and started wheezing, but still couldn't stop herself laughing.

"I-" Artemis tried to speak, then his serious expression was replaced with a sulky, petulant scowl. "What's so funny?"

Opal managed to catch her breath. "What the hell was that?" she managed to exclaim, but looking at Artemis made her fall into hysterics again.

"What? What did I do wrong?"

"What did you do wrong? What were you thinking? That a kiss from the prince would make everything better? You are aware that this is real life aren't you?" Artemis was utterly speechless at this explosion. "I mean do you love me? Do you even like me? Do you think I love you?"

Artemis managed to get a few words in. "Well, it worked, didn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but was that honestly the best you could do? It only worked because I couldn't stop laughing!"

"Oh really?" He tried to raise an eyebrow knowingly, but he wasn't fooling her. "It looked to me like you were about to give yourself up forever. It seems to me that I performed exactly the correct action, given the situation."

"Oh, I'm sorry." And she almost was, but his hurt expression was just too much for her. "No, really. I suppose I should thank you." She looked away from him, trying to gather herself. Maybe he really had done the best thing he could think of, and if it had worked she should be thankful, she thought. And she knew she was partly overreacting to expel the remaining feelings of fragility from herself. But really.

He still wasn't happy, but he tried to console himself with the outcome. She was better. She was solid; she was here and she wanted to be alive. They had consolidated their selves, and the heavy invading pulse of the magical construct began to dissipate from their minds. All it had taken was that one act, and what did it matter that it had been the ridiculousness of the action rather than the emotion of it that had anchored her to reality? He felt a twinge of disappointment, but that was surely natural after they had been so close, and of course that blasted puberty was probably to blame as well.

She looked at him with seriousness in her eyes. "Thank you, Artemis." She could remember his comforting words to her just now, and the way he had looked after her since the beginning, and that _had_ been important to her. Of course he had done more to help her and she was truly and sincerely grateful to him for his kindness. She wouldn't have been here without him, and that was the fundamental truth of the matter.

"You're welcome," he answered gruffly. "At least it's over with now. How do you feel?"

"Different. Good different."

"I'm glad to hear it." Now that they were no longer part of the time-stream, they felt awkward towards each other. Both had very sharp memories of their closeness, but they no longer felt it, and knew they never would again.

"So, Mr. Fowl, how do you propose we get out of here?" He smiled. Already her spirit had started to return. He would forget the insult for now. Then what she actually asked hit him. He had completely forgotten. And now he couldn't answer.

"It's okay, I know." She had already worked it out.

They could get out. The magic had become a part of them completely now, and to escape from the bubble they would have to relinquish all of that magic. But the problem was so simple it seemed ludicrous. A merely technical problem, that seemed beyond what had happened to their minds and bodies already. But there it was:

"We're suspended about 10,000 feet in the air. We can escape but... we won't live."

"It's alright, Artemis Fowl. I'm happy. For the time being I feel perfectly happy. I'll be content to die with you."

Artemis felt full of regret. It had seemed a noble idea to sacrifice himself for the lives of so many people. Now it seemed foolish. There was nothing noble or glorious about death.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't mention it," she muttered.

* * *

**Yeah, people who read my original know that Opal is actually laughing at me more than Artemis in this chapter. Gawd. Can't thank Dem enough for the Beta work, and this is probably the most important chapter. Or the last one :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Explanatory: **

**Well, this is a huge overhaul of my original fanfiction. The main reason for doing this was that I felt that the idea for this was really good but the writing, and the ending in particular, let it down in a lot of places. Also, as I was writing the sequel and some people were reading the prequel, I felt that it would be good to do it. Also I wanted what seemed to be the only positive A/O fic out there (that I've read anyway :P) to be a little more... believable. Nearly all of this has been changed and there are quite a few extra scenes throughout, but if you read this before and want to read it but not the whole thing, Ch.7 is probably the best place to start as it is the 'new' chapter and from thereon stuff changes a lot. You could also just read the ending, which is different to how it was before. This is now an unfinished story: it will be finished, but it will have probably at least three more chapters before it is. **

**'The One Called Demetra' has been my Beta for this overhaul and I have to say that I couldn't have asked for a better one. I needed someone to kick my butt, tell me when stuff was awful and be nasty enough to make sure I changed it when it was. OK that doesn't sound like a compliment but I'm sure Dem knows what I mean :) **

**Please, please, please read and review this as much as you can. I feel like this is my first actual fiction, even if it is only fanfiction, and it's certainly the most original idea I've ever had and the one I've spent most time on. I want to know what's wrong with it, where it didn't work and where it did, and just what people think of it. And be HONEST, really. I know everyone begs for reviews but... OK, everyone wants reviews and I'm as much of an attention whore as everyone else...**

**I hope you enjoy it. **

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Holly Short hovered near the explosion for a few seconds, allowing her helmet visor to scan the plane's wreckage. After looping twice, she buzzed forward and caught Artemis Fowl by the scruff of the neck before he had started to fall more than a few metres. He was almost pulled out of her hands by the jolt of the weight of two bodies.

"D'Arvit! Let her go, Artemis!" She swore again in a variety of languages and hooked him onto her moonbelt. She was faintly pleased that Artemis had held onto Koboi though, preventing her from plummeting to her doom. It showed the true man he had become, one who would never kill someone for vengeance or hatred. Her face hardened. She also wanted to see Koboi face justice, to be condemned for her crimes against the fairies and against all living creatures. To spend the rest of her life in a cell, rotting away for a long time. A quick end would be too merciful. The law would punish Koboi, the law she had so long defied.

"Artemis!" she called over the howling wind. "What happened there?" She frowned as she noticed something. "Why is she so small? And normal looking?"

He seemed to be in a daze though. Fair enough, she thought, an explosion in a light aircraft 10,000 feet above sea level would do that to a person. She concentrated on getting them all back to Fowl Manor.

*****

It was almost a disappointment to be arrested in their descent after only a few seconds, an anticlimax. But after this initial bizarre feeling, a realisation crept over him quickly, followed by elation, an ecstatic feeling of victory. They had made it. Artemis's mind immediately began to work almost the second after he had accepted that his – their – life had returned to them. Now, at last, there were simple, practical problems to be solved and, however difficult they might be, he could always solve them.

Opal too felt a huge relief. When she had heard Holly tell Artemis to drop her, she had imagined he would for a second. But, yet again, he had held onto her. It still felt impossible to her, and she clung to him in a daze as they sped over the land. But the mind of a genius is never content to rest, and it continued to work, realising what would happen when they had landed. And then they did land. Holly unclipped them and they almost collapsed to the floor from exhaustion.

Holly was barking orders into her helmet, and two armed LEP officers stepped forward. They quickly pulled Opal to her feet and cuffed her, and began dragging her out of the house. She made no effort to struggle or protest, but when she looked at Artemis, she seemed to be silently asking him a question: are you going to let this happen?

What happened next seemed to happen in an instant. Artemis made a curt nod to Butler who had appeared as if by magic in the fairies' path. Butler understood immediately and acted quickly, silently and without question. He moved behind the two officers and clasped a giant thumb and forefinger to the back of their necks, and they collapsed instantly, unconscious. Holly immediately whirled round, instinct taking over, and sank three charges from her neutrino into the aggressor's giant chest. He toppled over and hit the floor with an almighty crash, and Artemis took this moment to move to Opal's side, putting himself between Opal and Holly.

"Butler!" Holly screamed as she saw her old friend topple over, immediately regretting her reaction. Then it hit her. "Artemis! What the hell are you doing?" Her voice was a furious cry, her confusion resonating in her words.

"You're not taking her, Holly. I won't let you take her away." His voice was calm, a firm authoritative tone with a slight hint of anger mixed in.

Holly couldn't understand the words that were coming out of his mouth. As far as she knew he had lured Opal away, the plane had exploded and she had caught them in the air, and that somehow Koboi had lost her power. This she had put down to one of Artemis's ingenious plans, and that would be explained later. But this made no sense; he was protecting her, defending her.

"What - why did you?" she looked down at her unconscious officers. "What are you doing, Artemis?!"

"Opal is going to stay here with me Holly. You need to let me explain. Please."

"You'd better explain. Right after you've given her over to me and she's rotting in a cell in Atlantis. Then you can do all the explaining you want. And it had better be good."

"No, Holly. You have to listen to me now. I'm not letting you take her."

"No, you listen to me, Fowl. I don't know what plan you have and I don't want to know. Your part is over now, and you have absolutely no right to get in the way of justice. So forget it. You don't have a choice. I can stun you and take her on my own."

Artemis looked at her grimly, and then she noticed what was in his other hand. He raised his arm and pointed the handgun he had taken from the unconscious police officer. "I can't let you do that Holly. I'll fight you if I have to."

And that gesture is what made Captain Holly Short stop. In front of her, Artemis Fowl, her Arty, was pointing a gun at her, willing to shoot her. She felt a terrible feeling spread from her stomach, she felt sick as she looked into his eyes that looked unflinchingly back at her. And though she could easily have beaten the boy and fulfilled her threat, the impact of that gesture from Artemis was like a blow. A blow that knocked the wind out of her.

"How could you do this, Artemis? After everything she's done to us. She's a monster, Artemis, a monster. Look at what she did to you." She gulped back a tear, "She murdered Julius, she tried to kill us all. She tried to destroy me. Doesn't that matter to you?"

A slight hesitation flickered across his face as he felt the force of her feeling. But then it was gone. He had no choice. "No, Holly, not any more."

He tried to explain further but she shouted him down, her eyes filling with red, hot tears. "Don't call me Holly! Don't speak to me like that! I can't believe I ever trusted you, cared for you! I can't believe I -" She gasped for air, a painful shuddering sound. "I thought you cared about us, I thought you cared about the People! This is just another scheme isn't it? After all we've been through, all we've done for you! All you've done for me. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"It's not like that, Holly. Please let me explain."

Holly shook her head, as if trying to shake what she couldn't believe out of her head. As far as she was concerned this was, could only be another plan, another manipulative scheme for his own benefit. After all she thought he had changed, this time his betrayal hit her the worse. He had disregarded all of her feelings, ignored all the ideas of morality and fairness she thought he had learnt, just so he could further some selfish goal of his own.

"How did I ever think you'd changed?" Holly's stricken face steeled, as her self-control hardened her rage and quashed her rising emotions. Artemis saw this happen and felt an immense regret fill his heart. He wished he didn't have to do this to her.

"Holly, look at her." Opal peeked out from behind Artemis, her head resting on his stomach. She didn't look like a criminal, she didn't look evil and she didn't look like a threat. As she gazed back at Holly with her huge, dark eyes, she looked like nothing but a child. But to Holly Short she looked smug, as if she was gloating at her, as if she was crowing at her from the top of a throne: _Look at what I've done. I've taken everyone from you now. Even the Mud Man you love. I win. _Holly felt small and ashamed at her own failure.

"Very well, Fowl." She spat out his name with as much hatred, more than when she had first known him. It was worse this time because she had expected better, and now she felt like a fool. Even more so because she had trusted in him, confided in him, loved hi – she pushed that thought out of her head. "You have thirty minutes to explain before I call in Retrieval, and trust me you have no idea how much I want to do that immediately."

"Thank you H – Captain. Could I ask that N°1 is brought in?" She didn't reply but whispered something into her headset. A few minutes later the jolly little demon walked into the room smiling, followed by a centaur who looked far more apprehensive. His smile quickly vanished as he saw Opal Koboi. He almost fell over when he saw Opal, but rallied when he noticed she had no magic left, bouncing back upwards on his tail.

"So?" This was Holly.

"N°1 set up what happened in that plane crash, I'd like him to explain." The demon's face was surprisingly hard as he looked up at Artemis sharply.

"Well, N°1? Is he telling the truth? What did you do for him?"

The young warlock paused for a second. "It was – the demon bubble."

Holly felt her heart sink. "You did this?"

"Yes." The demon looked at Artemis holding Opal by his side and he frowned and addressed him. "But I never would have done it if I thought this would be the result."

"I never meant this to happen. I never thought this would happen."

Holly ignored his protests. "So you and Koboi were in this thing together?"

N°1 nodded to confirm this. "That is correct. I put the spell into Artemis, so the only way he could get her too was to drag her in with him. He was supposed to use the effects to strip her magic away. Evidently something went wrong."

"There is something wrong," spat Holly, her emotions getting the best of her. "So Fowl, you and the pixie have sorted out your differences have you? How nice for you. Now stand aside so I can make her pay for the other people she's hurt."

"No." She stared at him, anger, disbelief and sorrow mingling in her expression. It killed him to do this to her, but he had made his choice. "Opal is staying with me, Captain Short." Holly snorted but Artemis continued: "I shall pass her off as my child, my adopted child."

A cruel laugh rang out from Holly. "Your child! Of course! And you'd like us to just go away whilst you raise your child. Apart from the fact she's public enemy number one, how will you explain the fact she stays under a metre for the rest of her life? Or that she has pointed ears, and the figure of an adult?"

"That's hardly your concern, is it. At any rate, the bubble has stripped Opal of her magical powers."

Holly scowled. "And that matters to me why?"

But Foaly was groaning in disbelief. "Oh it does matter, it really does. This is unbelievable."

Artemis nodded. "And that means she is not technically under your power, according to the book. A fairy is a magical creature, and Opal Koboi is no longer a magical creature."

"That's just a technicality and you know it. The LEP is perfectly within its rights to apprehend all creatures of fairy origin if they are a threat to our existence or secrecy, with or without magic. Just look at Mulch Diggums."

"But not," Artemis replied smoothly, "If said creature is under the protection of any Mud Man in full knowledge of the circumstances in which he shelters said creature. The Book overrules any LEP guidelines or practices. Legally, I am perfectly within my rights."

"Is this true, Foaly?" Holly asked.

The centaur answered her after a long silence, and through the speakers she could hear the suppressed rage as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Yes. Fowl is allowed to shelter the murderer if he chooses to do so. Opal will become a member of the human species."

"Just leave, Captain Short. There's nothing you can do here. No-one expects you to have to make this decision."

Holly froze at these words, an unspeakable rage boiling up inside her. "You. Shut up. I can't hear another word that comes from your mouth."

N°1 looked at her with sympathy. "We should go, Holly."

Foaly nodded, despite himself. "He's right, Holly, we should go. Not because of what Fowl wants but because this is too big for us. Let the council decide what action to take."

Holly listened to his words and knew that he was right. But she felt she couldn't leave. Koboi was standing right in front of her, powerless to defend herself. How could she walk away from her and let her get away with her crimes yet again? She deserved retribution, and Holly wanted revenge, wanted compensation for the pain that had been inflicted. She was standing right there, defying them, mocking them by her very existence. Holly forced herself to push down her hatred, focusing on Artemis, focusing on the one who had made all this happen.

"I will leave, Fowl. But I have something to tell you before I do so."

He saw the look in her eyes and wished he could do something, anything to stop this from happening. "Holly, please. Don't do this."

Her eyes started to sting with tears, and she blinked them furiously from the eyes that were half from her and half from him. "Shut up. You have betrayed us all, Artemis. And most of all I can't believe you would do this to me." He was shocked that she was making it personal in this way, and the sting of her words intensified. "After all we've been through together, everything that's happened between us, I can't understand how you could hurt me. But know that it's over. Whatever I ever felt for you is gone; you have betrayed us all more than you have ever done before, and - I hate you. I don't understand you, but I know that if you did care for me you wouldn't do this."

The bare truth of her emotions hit him like a physical blow, and he could see how hard it was for her to speak this way. It was as though she had to force out this truth whilst she still could. "Holly..."

"Don't speak to me!" She furiously blinked back the tears that poured from her glistening eyes. Her voice shook, and she trembled slightly as she looked at him. But there was nothing else she could do. There was no forgiving this.

When she spoke again her voice was hard and formal. "The people will decide what to do with you and the criminal. The restriction on house entry has been lifted, so if we decide to take the pixie and mind-wipe you there is nothing you can do about it." She made no further reference to herself as an individual; the protocol she followed seemed not to be coming from her. It was like she was watching a different person, a strong and decisive person, take control of the decisions. Inside Holly was torn. As she looked at Artemis she was still filled with a terrible urging, a compulsion to do something, anything to reason with him, to preserve their friendship and more. But as she looked at him she saw the thing she hated more than anything in the world standing right behind him, her claws twisting into him, manipulating him against his friends and everyone who cared for him. She could never forgive him for this. It was the last time he would betray her.

*****

As he watched them fly away, Artemis felt a huge pang of regret. For the second time the thought crossed his mind: w_hat have I lost? _He looked down at Koboi, and for a brief second he felt angry at her. He had lost Holly for her. But Opal looked up at him with truly innocent eyes, and he couldn't blame her.

"They're gone. You're safe now."

She was genuinely grateful. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

They stood there for a minute gazing out at the beautiful Irish countryside.

"Your child?"

"Oh, I just said that for them."

"Of course you did." She spoke jokingly, but she felt genuinely worried. There was no reason for him to keep her here now. She was effectively throwing herself on his mercy, though he had taken the responsibility without her asking. "So, um." She bit her lip

Artemis looked at her. "Don't worry about it. You can stay here for as long as you want."

"I think I will," she said. It suddenly felt all too much for her. So many things had happened in such a short space of time. She felt dizzy.

Artemis spoke to her softly, casually. "Are you alright?" He put an arm around her shoulders; a friendly gesture. She moved into him slightly.

Artemis's brain started working, calculating. She was far from stable yet. This was a creature who had been utterly insane, then had gone under some intense mental trauma. He began thinking about what he would have to do to keep her as comfortable and relaxed as possible, to rehabilitate her into a relatively normal life. Being reliant on someone would be difficult for her, as would living in human society, as would staying hidden from the world the whole time. Then there were the worries she must be having that the LEP would return; now that there was nothing to physically stop them, Artemis was relying on them adhering to the principles of the book out of duty. And of course he had to worry about the chance of her relapsing, and what he would do then. Countless scenarios and possibilities played through his head. Anything to distract himself from the cluster of specks disappearing from sight.

"Hey," Opal said, noticing his mood, "don't let it get to you too badly."

"You're right," he answered uncertainly.

"I mean, you were quite a good kisser, really."

He coloured at this. Looking down at her, he saw her looking back up at him with a teasing expression, stifling a giggle. He sighed deeply. Perhaps she'd be okay after all.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi to anyone who's still gonna read this. I've been away at uni but even when I came back this chapter just took a stupidly long time to write, partly because I have to read the entirety of 14th-17th century literature, but partly also because this chapter is a mess... I'm really not very happy with it still but I can't tell if it's particularly bad or if I've just obsessed over it for too long. I've no idea when the next chapter will be finished, could be a few days or a few months... **

**Anyway, that's probably enough moaning. Please do read and review this, I need the advice as much as I want the attention ;) Hope you all had a great new year as well x**

Opal's trial had gone ahead as scheduled; however Artemis Fowl had ensured that she would not be taken into LEP custody until declared guilty and had insisted on acting as her advocate – and this had been allowed. The sheer volume of technical issues arising from the case, which included the time travel and whether Opal was even subject to the law, were already so high that whether or not a human could act as advocate was an issue the courts decided to skip over.

Opal sat alone in Fowl manor, a holographic image of the court-room and its inhabitants projected around her. Back in Haven, her and Artemis's images would likewise be recreated for the court. This was actually fairly common practice – it meant that individuals could be judged from wherever they were being held in custody, especially useful when there was only one central court in Haven. As such, though she knew it was not real, she felt the full intimidating force of a room full of people, all of whom utterly loathed her, staring down at her tiny figure in judgement. After pleading 'not guilty' to a vast string of charges, court had proceeded slowly. For example, there was the issue of whether or not Opal could even be judged.

*****

"Mr. Fowl, you wish to bring an issue before the council?"

"Yes, thank you. Before any charges are addressed, I would like to bring to your attention a passage from the Book." Several of the council members stirred at this, but Artemis continued regardless. _"The faerie is a magickal creature, and thus must obey the laws that have bene laid upon the magicks of this earth. A faerie that abuseth this most holy trust with any foul device shall relinquish their hold upon the magick that is their gift, and shall become as those that crawl in mud; cast out of the faery race and banished forever from their brothers and sisters, as thus they do abuse every one of their rights under our most holy laws."_

The recitation was word-perfect Gnommish, the words every fairy learns from the day they are born. The most basic and fundamental of rules: if you wish to keep your magic, you must obey the rules of Fairy society as described in the Book.

"What is your point, Mr. Fowl?"

"My point is that Opal Koboi is no longer a magical creature: if she is no longer a magical creature she cannot lose her magic, and as such she is already cut loose from the rules of The Book."

The old elfin judge sighed wearily. He had dealt with many kinds of lawyer over his hundreds of years in the court, and he recognised this type. The human was going to niggle through every possible detail there was. "Mr. Fowl. Whilst what you state is technically true I'm afraid that this has always been waived for fairy creatures that pose an active threat to the society. I'm sure you are aware of the... lengths that we go to in order to protect our secrets."

Artemis allowed a smile at this. It seemed the judge had a sense of humour then. "Of course, your honour. However my point is that Miss Koboi has not, in fact, committed any act that could amount to a threat to the Fairy society."

This statement prompted a stunned silence, followed by a period of muttering amongst every fairy in the courtroom. Then, one by one, the assembled people began to titter. The judge was forced to bang his hammer for a good two minutes to restore order to the courtroom.

"Explain yourself, Mr. Fowl. I'm about ready to hold you in contempt of court."

"Simple. As _this_ Opal Koboi is, in fact, from the past, she has not committed any of the crimes that I – and forgive me for this assumption – expect the prosecution was expecting to press in this case."

Another stunned silence, another period of muttering, but this time the huge team of lawyers assembled by the prosecution were looking worried. No-one, it seemed, had really considered or understood the nature of the time paradox. Truth be told, no-one, including Artemis, Opal or Foaly, really understood what had happened. Artemis's smile, which already most of the fairies present had come to hate and fear, widened. If he could lock the court down in a scientific debate on quantum physics and time travel, the case could be held in stasis for decades. Especially considering he would not be sharing his or Opal's considerable theorising with the court.

*****

And so it had gone on and on and on. As every issue was resolved, another one was raised. As Artemis spoke the prosecution's case became confused and disjointed. They dropped some charges, raised new ones, brought in new witnesses who were then discredited, abandoned some issues then found they were essential to their own arguments. Throughout it all the Mud boy remained perfectly calm, perfectly composed - his expression began to unsettle the fairies assembled against him. His slight smile had begun to hold dread for them, and whenever they thought they had come up with a killer argument it would still be there, as though he was amused by their petty attempts to beat him, as a father who might willingly indulge a child in play for a few hours and be entertained by its antics.

And those eyes. For everyone in the courtroom they meant something different. For Opal, they told her just how committed he was to defending her, to keeping her in his possession - a calm but steely confidence, and a stubborn refusal to back down in face of an entire supernatural justice system. For the old judge they held the look of absolute control, and a promise that, whilst he would fight, he would at least abide perfectly to justice, the law and the court system. Judges, at least in the more civilised countries of the world, were something taken from the fairies that Mud men had managed to recreate fairly well: 'The hanging judge, that evil old man in scarlet robe and horse-hair wig, whom nothing short of dynamite will ever teach what century he is living in, but who will at any rate interpret the law according to the books.' Except in this case it was _the _Book. Meanwhile outside of the courtroom, where everyone in Haven was glued to the daily highlights of the trial, they had come to mean something exciting. Fairies, like humans, cannot resist an anti-hero, and Artemis was an almost perfect example. Obviously if asked no fairy in their right mind would say they were actually rooting for him, but a fair few admired this daring, defiant rebel, this dark and mysterious character whose history with the fairies was vaguely known and much speculated about.

For Holly they made her realise that she'd had enough. She'd thought about what she was going to do at the trial, but in the end she gave her evidence dispassionately and wasn't recalled or cross-examined. She knew she could have done a lot to swing the case over to the prosecution, but just seeing him made her lose all her hatred and anger. She didn't want to fight Artemis, not any more. She just wanted him to get out of her life.

And for the council? For the fairies who would be casting the final judgement, the protectors of justice and the entire race? Mostly they were afraid. Standing in the middle of the courtroom gazing steadily at them with utter determination, those eyes held a colossal threat. _Look at me_, they said, _I have the power to destroy you at my disposal. You know I'm clever enough, you know I'm capable and you know I can and will outsmart you at every turn. The entire bloodthirsty human race is only kept away from your doorstep by my charity; defy me and I can let slip the dogs of war. You know you are superior to us in nearly every way, but not in war. If there is a war we will destroy you. Your culture, technology, intelligence, morality and organisation may be better, but we are a race who have five thousand years of experience in murdering people different from us. A history of terror, brutality and destruction. The human race is a terrible species and the last century showed that the only way they have changed is in efficiency and scale. As many acts of utter barbarity have been committed in the last few years as were when we were simple tribes scalping each other with stone axes. And if I choose I can bring that down upon you in an instant. Can you possibly dare to stand against me?_

And in the end they couldn't. In reality they could have ignored his clever arguments, could have manipulated the case to come out on their side or completely disregarded it. But they couldn't risk a war with the humans, couldn't risk facing Artemis Fowl and Opal Koboi leading a race they had spent thousands of years hiding from, a race who had grown and covered the globe and stayed as capable of cruelty and the disregarding of life as they had ever been. It was a simple matter of risk assessment, and the safest course of action had been to let the megalomaniac lunatic go. The court case petered out, with a half-hearted dropping of the charges made as a mere nod to justice, and the exhausted fairies had filed out of the courtroom.

*****

If anything the real trial for Artemis and Opal had been getting her accepted into the Fowl household. Butler had been difficult, but his ability to read personality told him that Opal Koboi had undergone a huge change, and of course he would always trust Artemis. He had been hugely uncomfortable with the way Artemis had separated himself from Holly and the rest of their friends, but there wasn't much anyone could do about it. His father had been relatively simple in comparison. As he didn't know about the fairies or Opal, the difficulty had only been in persuading him that Opal was an employee rather than a love interest, especially considering her 'young' appearance. But she was obviously easily as intelligent as Artemis, and seemed even more experienced in some ways, and the height could be explained - after all, the human race had such a generous range of birth defects.

Of course, the difficulty had been in persuading his mother. Convinced from her knowledge that Artemis was going to bring home that pretty young elf, she was beyond horrified to have Opal Koboi come back with him. It had taken everything Artemis could do to persuade her not to immediately throw the Pixie out, and she hadn't even acknowledged her existence for months. In the end Artemis had appealed to her kindness, and god knows there was enough of that. It had been hugely difficult, but Opal had been surprisingly sensitive, not once rising to the rudeness that Angeline couldn't help treating her with. Even more surprisingly was that Artemis could see that it bothered her that she wasn't accepted by his mother. He had even noticed her crying once or twice after a particularly bitter attack, but he felt he couldn't say anything to his mother - in all honesty Opal probably deserved it. But it had worked out in the end. The turning point was when Opal gifted Artemis Senior with a specially designed prosthetic leg that actually integrated with his nerve endings and acted just as a normal limb. It was a genuinely sweet gesture, and Artemis knew that by helping his father Opal was taking the most effective route to his mother's unselfish heart. He was proud of her.

So the Fowl household had accepted her eventually. But what of Artemis? He had as much reason as anyone to hold a grudge against Opal, more even. Maybe it was guilt at his betrayal of Holly, or maybe it was because the glow of charity he had felt at first had faded, but he acted surprisingly coldly towards her. He spoke to her with no obvious emotion, and generally only to give her instructions or for appearances sake. Any doubts his father might have had about Artemis's intentions were assuaged by his obvious dislike for the girl. He was not obviously rude to her, far from it, but the relationship between them was more carefully professional than would have been necessary in the most formal of situations, and it was this which gave away his feelings. His mother was particularly confused by this.

"Artemis, I understand why you wanted to look after her, but... are you sure you want her to stay here? It's clear that you're even more bothered by this than I am."

"It's fine. I'm not bothered in the slightest."

She raised an eyebrow at his brusqueness.

He sighed, and continued. "I'm sorry, mother. I _am _bothered, yes, but she is my responsibility. Just because I'm looking after her doesn't mean I have to care for her." He frowned. "Well, you see what I mean."

"It's up to you, Arty. But remember that you owe her nothing. If you want her to stay, then you should have your own reason for it."

"Yes, I know." He sighed, running a hand through his hair roughly. "I want to help her, truly. But what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to know what will please her? And am I not expected to have any feelings of my own? It's not as if anyone can expect me to forgive her entirely."

"That's true, Arty. Except it's _you_, isn't it? When did you ever not surpass all expectations? Of course it's reasonable for you to act this way, but you know that you can do better."

He smiled faintly at this. It was reassuring to know that there were not idiots in the Fowl family, even if they couldn't all be geniuses.

Angeline continued. "It's up to you Artemis, of course it is. It's not as if she needs your charity in any case – she's managed on her own before."

"Yes, she has."

"So have you finished those Lab reports?"

"No, not yet. I need a few more hours."

"Hmm. Well, finish it by tomorrow."

Opal quickly glanced at him, but he was looking at a screen and his body language said that the conversations was over. She hesitated before she spoke. "I'll have to work through the night to get that done."

He didn't look up. "Do it then."

She took a deep breath. "No."

Now he looked up, raising an eyebrow sardonically. "Excuse me?"

"I'm not working through the night. I'm tired and it can wait."

He stared at her unflinchingly for a minute, then stood up and walked to her so suddenly that she flinched backwards. However he merely took the papers from her hands and sat back down. "I'll have to do it then," he said, though there was no trace of anger in his voice. They sat there in silence for a while before he spoke again. "I thought you were tired?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm sorry?"

"If you want me to leave then I will."

"Well it would make it easier to concent-"

"You know what I meant!" She had risen suddenly from her chair, though this still only brought her up to his eye level. "I don't need this. You've made it clear that you hate having me around, and you've obviously fulfilled whatever idea you had of responsibility to me. Isn't it for the best that we go our own ways?"

"No. Please, don't leave."

"Why?"

"Because you need-" he clamped his mouth shut but it had already slipped out.

"You?" To her credit she didn't laugh. "If that's true then what is it you think I need? What are you doing for me that I couldn't do for myself?" He didn't answer. "If all you need is a lab technician then you can find someone else. If you just want to work with me then I'll move out."

"Don't do that. I'm sorry"

"Don't be. I didn't ask for your kindness and I'm sure I don't deserve it now. It must be difficult for you."

Artemis smiled. "I'm sure people have dealt with worse," he interjected sarcastically.

She continued as if he hadn't spoken. "I'm not going to be your servant. I don't mind if you can't deal with me but this isn't working as it is."

Artemis stared at her, not blankly, rather as if he had just seen her sitting there; his eyes were wide, but contemplative. "I'm sorry." He suddenly exclaimed

She raised an eyebrow. "You've said that already."

"Yes – no, ah. I suppose what I'm trying to say is..." He smiled, his features relaxing. "Please stay here for as long as you want to. As a guest and as a friend."

Opal was silent for a few seconds, then, to his amazement, started to cry ever so slightly. "Thank you. I don't know what I would have done on my own."

He stood there awkwardly; it was quite difficult to restrain oneself from patting or hugging a distressed pixie, but he knew enough to know that she wouldn't thank him for it. "Ah, well. Good. We'll turn in for the night then."

"Yeah."


	12. Chapter 12

**Woah totally well quick update. Yeah so I had this chapter pretty much written out ages ago but was trying to write some bridging thingy. I just realised that all I was basically trying to explain was that Opal totally had the pituitary gland operation again so she's gonna be human sized kthxbye. If you're the sort of person who bothers about that sort of thing (why are you reading this) then that's your explanation, but it would have been a rubbish thing to base a whole chapter on. **

"Right, I'm going out. See you later."

Opal didn't look up from her screen. Her fingers played over the keyboard delicately, without her looking down once. "Oh, where are you going?"

Artemis straightened his bow-tie in the mirror, and tutted at the question. "To the ballet. I'm sure I've told you several times."

"Yes, probably. You're going with the blonde girl again?"

"You know what her name is. And yes, I am going with Minerva. And if you're trying to be offended, I gave up asking you to participate in anything remotely cultural after about the eleventh time."

She gave him a withering look. "I can't help it, I'm so absolutely consumed with jealousy that I feel the need to intrude constantly on your personal life."

"Well that's what I would have thought."

"Are you going to give her lots of kissies?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Opal. Jealous?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"Must we be this aggressive? I'm not quite sure what your problem is. You clearly aren't jealous, and you clearly don't want to go out anywhere. Do you need me to spend more time in the lab?"

She took the offer at face value. "Actually I think I'm fine at the moment. The computer is in the middle of a fairly large calculation, and I can't really do anything until it's done."

"Well then." The doorbell rang, and they heard Butler answer it. It was Minerva. "How do I look?"

She barely glanced at him. "Like a penguin."

"A handsome, dashing penguin?"

She turned and smiled at him. "You look fine. I'm not sure why you're worried. She's absolutely crazy about you."

Artemis opened his mouth to reply, but Minerva had just been brought in by Butler. The young French girl frowned when she saw the pixie, but as Artemis turned to face her he expression transformed into a beautiful smile.

"_Bonsoir_, Artemis!" She swept over to him, glamorous and graceful in a light green dress. She embraced him gently, planting a kiss on each of his cheeks. Opal rolled her eyes at the inserted French vocabulary. The girl was perfectly capable of speaking fluent English, and Artemis was equally capable of speaking French if she really wanted him to, so why did she think it made her speech more sophisticated to mix her phrases?

Minerva was equally irritated by Opal, though she hid her feelings far more competently. She withdrew from Artemis and beamed at the pixie, who waved back at her absently.

"How are you, Opal?"

"Very busy," she answered gruffly, then felt slightly disappointed in herself for not being able to conceal her emotions better. She felt slightly plain and messy in front of Minerva's delicate elegance; her hair was all over her face and her skin felt slightly filmy from having spent all day at the computer.

Minerva added to her feelings of inadequacy by taking her obvious rudeness in stride, replying with perfect politeness. "Well, don't work too hard. You seem to be single-handedly conducting all of Artemis's research these days."

There was a twinge of jealousy in the teenager's voice as she said this, but nothing remarkable. If there had not been three geniuses in the room then the slight tension in her voice would have passed completely unnoticed. As it was Artemis glanced from one to the other worriedly, unsure whose side to take.

He decided it was best to retreat for now. "We should leave fairly soon, Minerva."

"Yes it'd be a shame if we were late. Well then, shall we go, Master Fowl?" She offered her arm, which he took hurriedly. The two left quickly and, just before they left, Opal heard Minerva's voice tinkling down the corridor.

"Goodbye, Opal. Lovely to see you again!"

"Goodbye, Opal, lovely to see you again," mimicked Opal childishly. She tried to bring her attention back to her work, but found she was too irritated to concentrate. And, as she had said to Artemis, there wasn't a whole lot to do anyway. She frowned, and rose from her chair. She would go and take a bath, she decided, and wait for the calculations to finish. Then she would be relaxed and ready for when she could get back to work. Simple. But somehow an evening spent bent over a screen didn't appeal to her the way it usually would. Her mind kept floating irritatingly back to Artemis, imagining him enjoying himself whilst she was stuck at home. His words came back to her, and she thought petulantly: _I may not want to watch anorexic girls perform freakish acts of contortion and balance, but that doesn't mean I don't want to do something other than work sometimes. _She felt slightly imprisoned by Artemis; she was dependent on him, relied on him to provide her with interaction with the world outside the manor. Reasonably, she thought, he might make an effort to offer something she might enjoy – it was true that she didn't want to spend all evening in a concert hall or theatre, but he might do something out of his comfort zone for her sake occasionally. Partly she knew her complaints were due to her mood. She felt slightly drained; angry at herself for getting so worked up and yet unable to calm herself down.

* * *

"I'm home."

Opal didn't answer Artemis's call, frowning at the problem on the screen. He usually went straight to bed after his 'outings' with Minerva, after which she could practically feel the air of satisfaction emanating from his room as he mused on yet another successful date.

This time however he came down to see her. "Hello. Not asleep yet?"

She ignored the question. "So, how did it go? Did you have sloppy makeouts?"

"Ehh. Sort of." Something about his tone made her look up. He had taken his jacket off and his silk shirt was undone at the top. His hair was plastered down and the shirt was deeply stained with red wine. He had a sheepish half-smile on his face, a mixture of embarrassment and... something else.

She raised an eyebrow. "You look absolutely ridiculous."

"Thank-you, I was aware of that." But his slight smile only increased at the jibe.

She sighed in mock drama. "Go on then. Tell me what happened.

"Not much to tell really. Apparently she's 'not that kind of girl'. Whatever that means."

"Hah. Well, I'm shocked. I could have sworn she was going to forcibly mount you if you didn't make some sort of a move soon."

Artemis screwed up his face distastefully at the vulgarity. "Well, something like that anyway."

"So what went wrong?"

"Oh, I don't know. She was in a foul mood during the interval. For some reason she seemed to be uninterested in the latest research we've been doing into the matter-energy conversion for magical deconstruction. And yes, I know how that sounds, but she's not exactly your regular teenage girl. I tried to kiss her on the balcony but, well. I suppose I should have thought it through."

"Yes, if a girl is already in a bad mood with you it's rarely the best move to make. Any idea what she was mad about?"

He sighed, and slumped into a chair beside her. "No, not really." Opal looked at him sceptically. "Oh, alright. She was jealous of you."

"Of me?"

"Oh, not of _you_ as such. I don't think so. Just jealous of your research, jealous of working with me, etc. She just didn't like to hear me talk about you so much."

"Then why did you?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "I just felt that you deserved the credit. I couldn't have even gotten anywear near this far without the time and effort you've sunk into this. I suppose it offended me that she was trying to suggest otherwise. She was very eager to hear about it, just so long as I claimed I'd done it all myself." He shook his head and smiled. "I'm being very rude. How are you doing?"

"Oh, not bad," she answered carelessly. "The calculations have come through; your conversion formulae were slightly off so I corrected them for you. Have a look if you like."

Artemis declined; he was sure she was right. "You are brilliant," he said.

The compliment came as a surprise to her. "Uh, thanks."

"I mean it. I really appreciate this."

"It's just what I was planning to do. You're acting strange."

He rolled back his head. "I don't just mean this one thing; I mean all of it. I really appreciate it."

She frowned. "I'm not doing this because you want me to you know. I'm working with you because we're working towards the same goal. I'm not working for you."

He ignored her overly defensive reaction, looking at her face. "Are you okay? Your eyes are red."

Internally Opal cursed. "It's nothing. I've been in front of a screen for too long today, I'm just tired."

"Well, get to bed. I don't want my workers making mistakes due to tiredness."

"I'm not -" she said loudly, before realising it was a joke by the bemused expression on his face. "Oh, very funny. I must be tired."

"I agree." With that he rose and lifted her out of her seat. He had grown into a tall, strong young man, and he easily lifted the pixie, bundling her out from her desk. The move was hugely unexpected, and her first response was to yell at him.

"Hey! Let me down!"

"Nope. It's past bed-time for little fairies."

Realising the fun he was having, her next response was to refuse to rise to his baiting. "Oh well, if you want to carry me up three flights of stairs be my guest. It'll save me the walk."

"So we're both winners. Up we go then!" He knew he was acting childishly, but for some reason he felt like that was what he wanted to do. Something happy and silly was bubbling away inside of him, a rare feeling for Artemis Fowl. He had drunk slightly more wine than he usually would have too. She started to struggle in his arms in outrage as she realised he really was going to carry her to her bedroom. He ignored her protests and kicked the door of the Lab aside, striding across the hallway to the wide staircase. She went still and quiet in his arms.

Opal felt the rise and fall of his chest and the strength of his arms as he carried her. She suddenly didn't feel like resisting him. She looked up at his face; he wore a strange expression of playfulness that seemed ill-fitting for him. She was unable to stop a smile spreading across her face as a warm glow seemed to build up inside her.

He dumped her unceremoniously in her bed, despite the fact she was still fully clothed.

"You're drunk."

"Nonsense. That would be an unforgivable lapse." He turned around, and almost managed to cover the slight sway in his walk. However he ended up miscalculating and stumbling a little, and grabbed for the door frame as he tripped forwards. She giggled slightly and he turned to face her, looking far more relaxed than she had ever seen him.

"Thanks, Artemis."

He raised an eyebrow. "For carrying you upstairs?"

"No! Oh, never mind. Just go to bed will you?"

He felt slightly foolish now, but his smile didn't waver. "Go on, tell me."

She drew a deep breath, then exhaled sharply. "It's nice to be appreciated sometimes. So thank you for being appreciative."

"No problem."

**Heh, so that was hopefully a little... more interesting. I tried really hard in this one to get Opal's character right, which is hard considering she's supposed to be, you know, sane. So please give thoughts on that. Also I rather enjoy Ballet, but then I am an Arts student and Scientists are generally philistines. Well, Opal is anyway ;)  
**

**Please, Please R&R. I realise there was little to say about the last chapter but I'd really like a sense of whether people are still enjoying this and whether I'm still writing anything worth reading...**


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